Social Theory - biologyhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/tag/biology
enA&S Hall of Fame 2016 - Judith Lesnawhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/video/hall-fame-2016-judith-lesnaw
<div class="field field-name-field-embed field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Embed code:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">&lt;iframe src=&#039;https://player.vimeo.com/video/185847737?title=0&amp;amp;byline=0&amp;amp;portrait=0&amp;amp;color=7EACDC&#039; width=720 height=405 frameborder=0&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p></p><p></p><p class="first"></p><p><strong></strong></p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/photography" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">photography</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tag/poetry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">poetry</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3"><a href="/tag/arts" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">arts</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4"><a href="/tag/university" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">university</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5"><a href="/tag/kentucky" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">kentucky</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6"><a href="/tag/hall" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hall</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7"><a href="/tag/education" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">education</a></li></ul></div>Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:17:15 +0000Anonymous324177 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduA&S Hall of Fame 2016 - Dr Sally Masonhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/video/hall-fame-2016-dr-sally-mason
<div class="field field-name-field-embed field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Embed code:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">&lt;iframe src=&#039;https://player.vimeo.com/video/185709026?title=0&amp;amp;byline=0&amp;amp;portrait=0&amp;amp;color=7EACDC&#039; width=720 height=405 frameborder=0&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p></p><p></p><p class="first"></p><p><strong></strong></p></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/arts" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">arts</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tag/university" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">university</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3"><a href="/tag/kentucky" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">kentucky</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4"><a href="/tag/hall" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hall</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5"><a href="/tag/education" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">education</a></li></ul></div>Wed, 12 Oct 2016 19:17:15 +0000Anonymous324178 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduA&S Graduate Confronts Diabetes in Appalachiahttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/graduate-confronts-diabetes-appalachia
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p class="p1">By Mallory Powell</p>
<p class="p1">Growing up in Hazard, Kentucky, Brittany Martin was familiar with diabetes. Many of her older relatives had been diagnosed with the chronic condition, and her younger family members were starting to develop it as well. In a state with one of the highest rates of diabetes — 11.3 percent of adults had a diagnosis in 2014 —Martin’s family wasn’t out of the ordinary, but she found the status quo unacceptable.</p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Since she graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2014 with a dual degree in biology and sociology, Martin’s family history and her interest in health have converged in her current role as coordinator of the<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BigSandyDiabetes/"><span class="s2"> Big Sandy Diabetes Coalition (BSDC),</span></a> where she serves as an AmeriCorps Vista volunteer. The coalition, based at <a href="http://www.bshc.org/"><span class="s2">Big Sandy Health Care</span></a> in Prestonsburg, aims to improve detection, prevention and treatment of diabetes through screening and connection with local resources; it serves the five southeastern counties of Floyd, Johnson Magoffin, Martin and Pike.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Diabetes is especially prevalent in southeastern Kentucky, with an average of 13 percent of adults diagnosed. In Pike County, at least 16 percent of adults have been diagnosed, and overall, an estimated 138,000 Kentuckians are thought to be living with undiagnosed diabetes.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">In her role as the BSDC coordinator, Martin, 25, juggles many responsibilities, from hosting community screenings to planning board meetings and writing a regular newsletter. It didn’t take her long to observe that irregular screenings, a lack of follow-up, and shortage of robust data inhibited diabetes prevention and care at both individual and community levels.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“We decided we wanted to set up more systematic screenings, instead of opportunistic screenings, and eventually set up a diabetes registry and keep track of participants,” Martin said.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">She is now leading a project to determine whether regular community screenings and targeted follow-up can help to identify undiagnosed cases, measurably improve health, and reduce the emotional and economic burden of diabetes through connection with local resources.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Martin, a registered phlebotomist, has personally screened 586 people since she began working with the Big Sandy Diabetes Coalition in August 2015. At each initial screening, she gathers baseline data and provides diabetes education. She then follows up with people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic to connect them with local resources and encourage them to come back for screening in six months.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Much of her work has been supported by grants and training from the <a href="http://www.ccts.uky.edu/ccts/index.php"><span class="s2">UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science</span></a> (CCTS), which facilitates interdisciplinary and community-engaged health research with a focus on Appalachia. A CCTS <a href="http://www.ccts.uky.edu/ccts/community-engagement"><span class="s2">community engagement grant </span></a>provided funding for a pilot study of diabetes screening at a senior living center in Pike County. Martin has since received further funding and research training through t<a href="http://www.ccts.uky.edu/ccts/CLIK#aboutus"><span class="s2">he CCTS Community Leadership Institute of Kentucky</span></a> (CLIK), which aims to enhance the capacity of local leaders to address health challenges.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s3">Through CLIK, Martin received training</span><span class="s1"> on evidence-based interventions, data mining for research, and data collection and analysis — essential skills to assess the impact of a project. Equipped with this additional expertise, she is now researching the effectiveness of her diabetes screening system in nearby Martin County. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="s1">"Brittany’s important work, receptivity to our input, and unparalleled enthusiasm have made her a stellar CLIK participant. She is an ambassador for UK, the CCTS and CLIK, sharing her expertise and her commitment to the health of residents of the Commonwealth," said Nancy Schoenberg, Ph.D., co-director of community engagement and research for the CCTS. </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Depending on the month, Martin hosts up to 10 community screenings across the five counties served by Big Sandy Health Care. The opportunity to work in multiple counties in Appalachia has enlightened even a native of the region about the area’s diverse needs and challenges.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“People speak of Appalachia as a whole, but Martin County has so much less than Pike County. Martin County doesn’t have a hospital. They have such a lack of access to care. They have one grocery store. It was very hard for me to find the resources to give them,” she said.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">The outcomes of her screenings also alarm her. Despite the discrepancies of resources between the two counties, she finds similar rates of disease.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“It’s actually kind of scary. Roughly 24 percent of people are pre-diabetic and 25 percent are diabetic. That’s roughly half of my sample in the red zone,” she said. </span><span class="s4">She sees particular challenges for individuals who face multiple health issues and dire socioeconomic circumstances.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“Sometimes we’ll go do screenings in the homeless shelter. Imagine being homeless and diabetic. Sometimes people are also recovering from addiction. Really, can you imagine being homeless and diabetic and recovering from an addiction?”</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"> </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">At some of the community screenings, people have been surprised to learn that they’re diabetic or at immediate risk.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"> </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“We did a screening at Big Sandy Community College because some of the students didn’t have health insurance. A lot of them learned that they had pre-diabetes, and they were in their early 20s. It was scary for them. One person was diabetic and didn’t know it. At all ages we’ve screened, there’s been at least one person who’s said ‘Oh my god, I didn’t know, I didn’t know the signs.’”</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"> </span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Her data, however, encourages her about the potential impact of systematic community screening with targeted follow-up. Her initial screening study in Pike County found that 50 percent of people who received follow-up information and returned for their six-month screening had lower A1C levels.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Her demonstrated success has also yielded nearly $20,000 in outside funding to pay for community screenings and upcoming educational classes. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicaid, Aetna Better Health of Kentucky, and Passport Health Plan have provided a total of $11,000 in sponsorships for screenings (it costs about $7 to screen one person). Martin also recently received a $9,000 grant from Marshall University in West Virginia to support upcoming diabetes education classes in Big Sandy communities.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“Without the CCTS grants — without the money to start this program and show the results — I don’t think we would have gotten these other sponsorships in place. We wouldn’t have been able to screen as many people or even have the hope of screening more in the future,” Martin said.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">Martin also initiated a partnership with Marshall University to train Big Sandy Diabetes Coalition colleagues to lead “gentle yoga” exercises for their clients in order to increase movement and activity, especially for individuals who are wheelchair-bound or have trouble exercising.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“There are a lot of positive health effects of gentle yoga,” she said. “We work with the aging population, and as they age we want to keep them moving. Safe, slow movements, even if someone is wheelchair-bound, can help keep away chronic effects of things like diabetes.”</span></p>
<p class="p2">She’s developing yet another partnership to integrate retinopathy screenings at some community outreach events. Over the course of nearly 600 diabetes screenings, Martin observed the acute need for eye care, and engaged both UK and the <a href="http://www.upike.edu/KYCO"><span class="s2">University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Optometry</span></a> to provide retinopathy screenings at some of her events. Dr. Ana Bastos de Carvalho of UK and clinicians and optometry students from Pikeville University will conduct the screenings.</p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">When Martin isn’t busy with her full-time (and mostly unpaid) work as the diabetes coalition coordinator, she works at least 30 hours a week as a waitress. She is also studying for both her MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) and OAT (Optometry Admission Test) exams, with plans to apply to medical and/or optometry school at Pikeville University. Her ultimate goal is to become a practicing physician in a rural community. It’s a demanding portfolio of responsibilities, and though Martin only sleeps about five hours a night, she doesn’t tire of her work.</span></p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1">“I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”</span></p>
<p class="p2"> </p>
<p class="p2"><span class="s1"> </span><i>UK is the University </i><b><i>for </i></b><i>Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, visit uky.edu/uk4ky. You can also read more about UK’s work with communities in Appalachia </i><a href="http://www.uky.edu/appalachia/"><span class="s2"><i>here</i></span></a><i>. #uk4ky #seeblue #ukinappalachia</i></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/undergraduate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">undergraduate</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/feature" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">feature</a></li></ul></div>Thu, 07 Jul 2016 14:13:26 +0000jstayl1309632 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduPioneering Geneticist Michael Young Delivering Thomas Hunt Morgan Lectureshttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/pioneering-geneticist-michael-young-delivering-thomas-hunt-morgan-lectures
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><strong>(Oct. 5, 2015)</strong> — Michael W. Young, an esteemed geneticist known best for identifying the genes that regulate circadian rhythms, will deliver two lectures at the University of Kentucky this week as part of the 2015 Thomas Hunt Morgan Lecture Series sponsored by the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">UK Department of Biology</a>.</p>
<p>Young, vice president for academic affairs and Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor at The Rockefeller University, will speak Thursday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 9.</p>
<p>His first lecture, "Genes Controlling Sleep and Circadian Rhythms in Drosophila," will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday in Room 116 of the <a href="http://ukcc.uky.edu/cgi-bin/dynamo?maps.391+campus+0225" target="_blank">Thomas Hunt Morgan Biological Sciences Building</a>. His second lecture, "Genetic Pathways to Understanding Human Sleep Disorders," will be at 10 a.m. Friday in the <a href="http://libraries.uky.edu/WTYL" target="_blank">William T. Young Library</a>'s UK Athletics Auditorium.</p>
<p>Young's research on the molecular biology and genetics of biological rhythms spans more than three decades. Young conducted a series of groundbreaking studies on mutant fruit flies, discovering the molecular mechanisms that control circadian rhythms. His lab’s findings have implications for sleep and mood disorders, as well as dysfunctions related to the timing of gene activities underlying visual functions, locomotion, metabolism, immunity, learning and memory.</p>
<p>Recently, Young's lab has begun to study sleep and circadian rhythms at the genetic and molecular levels in humans.</p>
<p>Young is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He is a recipient of the 2013 Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine, the 2013 Wiley Prize in Biomedical Science and the 2012 Canada Gairdner International Award. He has also been awarded the 2012 Massry Prize, the 2011 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for Biology or Biochemistry, and the 2009 Neuroscience Prize of the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation.</p>
<p>He received his undergraduate degree in biology in 1971 and his doctoral degree in genetics in 1975, both from The University of Texas, Austin. Following postdoctoral work in biochemistry at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Young was appointed assistant professor at Rockefeller in 1978 as part of The Rockefeller University Fellows Program. He was named associate professor in 1984 and professor in 1988, and from 1987 to 1996 he was an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. From 1991 to 2001, Young headed the Rockefeller unit of the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Center for Biological Timing. Young was named the university’s vice president for academic affairs and Richard and Jeanne Fisher Professor in 2004.</p>
<p>The Thomas Hunt Morgan Lecture Series is the leading lecture hosted by the Department of Biology each year. Thomas Hunt Morgan, an alumnus of UK, rose to prominence as a renowned geneticist. Known as the "Father of Modern Genetics," Morgan won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1933 for discoveries related to the role chromosomes play in heredity. </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li></ul></div>Mon, 05 Oct 2015 19:15:23 +0000trra223281453 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu Molecular mechanisms that control development and dysfunction of the mammalian cerebellumhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/molecular-mechanisms-control-development-and-dysfunction-mammalian-cerebellum
<div class="field field-name-field-asdate field-type-datetime field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2015-04-27T16:00:00-04:00">04/27/2015 - 4:00pm</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-location field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">116 TH Morgan Biology Building</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-presenter field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Speaker(s) / Presenter(s):&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Nathaniel Heintz, Ph.D., Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, James and Marilyn Simons Professor, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Rockefeller University</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Host: Brian Rymond, University of Kentucky</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the College of Agriculture &amp; the Graduate School is sponsoring this graduate seminar course. Two of the seminars will be held in the Biology Department (TH Morgan Building) and two will be held in the Plant Sciences Building (College of Agriculture).</span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags/Keywords: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li></ul></div><ul class="links inline"><li class="calendar_link first last"><a href="/calendar-asdate/month" title="View the calendar.">Calendar</a></li>
</ul>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 21:32:13 +0000trra223276683 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduNeuronal regeneration and degeneration in long-lived Drosophila larvaehttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/neuronal-regeneration-and-degeneration-long-lived-drosophila-larvae
<div class="field field-name-field-asdate field-type-datetime field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2015-04-13T16:00:00-04:00">04/13/2015 - 4:00pm</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-location field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">116 TH Morgan Biology Building</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-presenter field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Speaker(s) / Presenter(s):&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Barry Ganetzky, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Genetics and Medical Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Host: Brian Rymond, University of Kentucky</p>
<p>The College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the College of Agriculture &amp; the Graduate School is sponsoring this graduate seminar course. Two of the seminars will be held in the Biology Department (TH Morgan Building) and two will be held in the Plant Sciences Building (College of Agriculture).</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags/Keywords: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/genetics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">genetics</a></li></ul></div><ul class="links inline"><li class="calendar_link first last"><a href="/calendar-asdate/month" title="View the calendar.">Calendar</a></li>
</ul>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 21:28:29 +0000trra223276682 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduCoding and Decoding Calcium Signals in Plantshttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/coding-and-decoding-calcium-signals-plants
<div class="field field-name-field-asdate field-type-datetime field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2015-04-06T16:00:00-04:00">04/06/2015 - 4:00pm</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-location field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Cameron Williams Lecture Hall (Plant Sciences Building)</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-presenter field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Speaker(s) / Presenter(s):&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Jeffrey Harper, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Nevada, Reno.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Host: Seth DeBolt, University of Kentucky</p>
<p>The College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the College of Agriculture &amp; the Graduate School is sponsoring this graduate seminar course. Two of the seminars will be held in the Biology Department (TH Morgan Building) and two will be held in the Plant Sciences Building (College of Agriculture).</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags/Keywords: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/biochemistry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biochemistry</a></li></ul></div><ul class="links inline"><li class="calendar_link first last"><a href="/calendar-asdate/month" title="View the calendar.">Calendar</a></li>
</ul>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 21:26:05 +0000trra223276681 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduMolecular, genetic and biochemical approaches to understanding and improving tomato flavorhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/molecular-genetic-and-biochemical-approaches-understanding-and-improving-tomato-flavor
<div class="field field-name-field-asdate field-type-datetime field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2015-03-30T16:00:00-04:00">03/30/2015 - 4:00pm</span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-location field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Cameron Williams Lecture Hall (Plant Sciences Building)</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-presenter field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Speaker(s) / Presenter(s):&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Harry Klee, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Host: Seth DeBolt, University of Kentucky</span></p>
<p>The College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the College of Agriculture &amp; the Graduate School is sponsoring this graduate seminar course. Two of the seminars will be held in the Biology Department (TH Morgan Building) and two will be held in the Plant Sciences Building (College of Agriculture).</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags/Keywords: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/biochemistry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biochemistry</a></li></ul></div><ul class="links inline"><li class="calendar_link first last"><a href="/calendar-asdate/month" title="View the calendar.">Calendar</a></li>
</ul>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 21:22:05 +0000trra223276680 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduFellowship Awards Presented by Association of Emeriti Facultyhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/fellowship-awards-presented-association-emeriti-faculty
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>By Clark Bellar</p>
<p><strong style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">(March 24, 2015)</strong><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> — </span><a href="http://www.uky.edu/UKAEF/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">University of Kentucky Association of Emeriti Faculty</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> (UKAEF) presented fellowship awards to three UK graduate students at a ceremony Feb. 10. Each award includes a stipend of $2,500.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Since 1996, 59 fellowships have been awarded totaling $84,500. Three or four fellowships are presented annually to full-time graduate students. These awards are made possible through donations from UKAEF members as well as from the </span><a href="http://www.research.uky.edu/faculty/rctf/whatis.html" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Commonwealth of Kentucky Research Challenge Trust Fund</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">This year's UKAEF Fellowship awards are named in honor of </span><a href="http://exploreuk.uky.edu/catalog/xt73j960633j_27_61" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Jean Pival</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">, 25-year faculty member in the </span><a href="https://english.as.uky.edu/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Department of English</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> and active member of UKAEF since 1987.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">"Jean was a key figure in beginning the organization and encouraging its success for the first 20 years," said Mary Witt, professor emeritus in the </span><a href="http://www.uky.edu/hort/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Department of Horticulture</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">. Witt served as UKAEF president from 2008-2009 and currently serves as executive secretary.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Winners for the 2014-15 school year are Jonathan Chilcote, Barry Kidder and Wen Wen.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Chilcote, a doctoral candidate in the </span><a href="https://history.as.uky.edu/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Department of History</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">, wrote his dissertation on the international history of the 1918-19 influenza pandemic combining elements of diplomatic, medical, political and social history. He feels study of the past can teach valuable lessons applicable to today's situation with Ebola. Chilcote hopes to teach on a wide variety of subjects at a small college or university.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">A doctoral candidate in the </span><a href="https://anthropology.as.uky.edu/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Department of Anthropology</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">, Kidder has spent three summers in Yucatan, Mexico, conducting archeological research on the interaction between Maya elites and non-elites 2,000 years ago. Dedicated to teaching pedagogy, Kidder is enrolled in UK's Preparing Future Faculty program. Additionally, he taught for five years in a Texas high school and has taught at the college level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Wen Wen is a doctoral candidate in the </span><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Department of Biology</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> who focused her dissertation on ocular morphogenesis during eye development. Her students describe her as "caring, conscientious and fair in her teaching and mentoring of students." Wen has a research publication under review and revision for Developmental Biology.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">For more information on UKAEF or to apply for a fellowship award, visit </span><a href="http://www.uky.edu/UKAEF/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">www.uky.edu/UKAEF/</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">.</span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/english" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">english</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/history" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">history</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/anthropology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">anthropology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li></ul></div>Tue, 24 Mar 2015 16:31:26 +0000trra223276676 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduGaines Fellowship Awarded to 12 UK Scholarshttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/gaines-fellowship-awarded-12-uk-scholars-1
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>By Lydia Whitman</p>
<p><strong style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">(March 12, 2015)</strong><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> The University of Kentucky </span><a href="http://www.uky.edu/academy/gainescenter" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Gaines Center for the Humanities </a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">has chosen 12 outstanding undergraduates as new scholars for the university's </span><a href="http://www.uky.edu/academy/gaines-fellowships" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Gaines Fellowship Program</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years. Gaines Fellowships are given in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Gaines Fellowships are awarded for the tenure of a student's junior and senior years, or for the last two years of a five-year program; students in all disciplines and with any intended profession are given equal consideration.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">UK's 12 new Gaines Fellows are:</span></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• David Cole, of Monticello, Kentucky, majoring in <a href="https://english.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">English</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Eva Cortès, of Lexington, majoring in <a href="https://is.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">international studies</a> and <a href="http://mcl.as.uky.edu/french-and-francophone-studies" target="_blank">French</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Rachel Dixon, of Lexington, majoring in English, <a href="http://hs.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Spanish</a> and <a href="https://wrd.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">writing, rhetoric and digital studies</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Nathan Hewitt, of Fishers, Indiana, majoring in <a href="http://finearts.uky.edu/music" target="_blank">music performance</a> (percussion) and <a href="http://finearts.uky.edu/arts-administration" target="_blank">arts administration</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Kaylee Hicks, of Versailles, Kentucky, majoring in international studies;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Alex Krupp, of Atlanta, Georgia, majoring in <a href="https://history.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">history</a> and <a href="https://polisci.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">political science</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Amir Kucharski, of Brookfield, Wisconsin, majoring in <a href="http://chem.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">chemistry</a> and <a href="http://pa.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">physics</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Hannah Latta, of Mayfield, Kentucky, majoring in <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">biology</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Sam Northrup, of Wilmore, Kentucky, majoring in political science and international studies;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Boone Proffitt, of Louisville, Kentucky, majoring in <a href="http://www.engr.uky.edu/ce/" target="_blank">civil engineering</a>;</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Abby Schroering, of Louisville, majoring in <a href="http://finearts.uky.edu/theatre" target="_blank">theatre</a> and English; and</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">• Natalie Watkins, of Barrington, Illinois, majoring in English and <a href="https://gws.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">gender and women's studies</a>.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">All Gaines Fellows are required to take a specially designed, four-credit hour per semester seminar in the humanities during both semesters of their junior year. In addition, each junior fellow must complete a jury project, planning and optionally carrying out an improvement for a local community. In the senior year, each fellow must complete a major independent study project of six to 15 credit hours. At the conclusion of this project, a thesis paper must be submitted and defended in front of a thesis committee of three university faculty members and the director of the Gaines Center.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">In addition to the course requirements, Gaines Fellows enjoy a rich program of field trips, lectures, and other activities designed to widen and deepen their educational experience.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">The students chosen as Gaines Fellows are excited for the incredible experience the fellowship will bring them. "To say that I am elated concerning my selection as a Gaines Fellow would be an understatement," Hannah Latta said. "I feel incredibly blessed to be given this opportunity to be immersed in the humanities and to connect to the Gaines Fellowship in the Humanities. I knew the program would allow me to realize this aspiration."</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Founded in 1984 by a generous gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities functions as a laboratory for imaginative and innovative education on UK's campus. Part of the </span><a href="http://www.uky.edu/academy/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Academy of Undergraduate Excellence</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> within the </span><a href="http://www.uky.edu/UGE/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Division of Undergraduate Education</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">, the center is devoted to cultivating an appreciation of the humanities in its students and faculty. The center embraces varied paths of knowledge and particularly strives to integrate creative work with traditional academic learning.</span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/gaines-fellowship-humanities" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">gaines fellowship in the humanities</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/english" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">english</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/international-studies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">international studies</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/french" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">french</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/spanish" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">spanish</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/history" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">history</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/political-science" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">political science</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/chemistry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chemistry</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-9" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/physics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">physics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-10" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-11" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/gender-and-womens-studies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">gender and womens studies</a></li></ul></div>Thu, 12 Mar 2015 16:31:00 +0000trra223276506 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduBiology Graduate Student Receives Fellowship to Present at Genome 10K Conferencehttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/biology-graduate-student-receives-fellowship-present-genome-10k-conference
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/MelissaKeinath-Bio.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>By Whitney Harder</p>
<p><strong style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">(Feb. 26, 2015)</strong><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> — Melissa Keinath, a graduate student in the University of Kentucky </span><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Department of Biology</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">, has been awarded a Genome 10K fellowship to attend the 2015 Genome 10K Conference and present her research poster, "Characterization of a Large Vertebrate Genome Using Shotgun and Laser Capture Chromosome Sequencing." The conference will take place March 1-5 in Santa Cruz, California.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">A relatively exclusive event, the Genome 10K Conference will explore critical topics essential for assembling a "genomic zoo" of some 10,000 vertebrate species. The zoo will help understand how complex animal life evolved through changes in DNA and create a resource for worldwide conservation efforts.</span></p>
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/BrianConnorsMankePhotography2014-0707%20-%20small-500x342.jpg" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5; width: 500px; height: 342px; margin: 8px; float: left;" width="500" height="342" /><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Working with Department of Biology Professor </span><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jjsmit3" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Jeramiah Smith</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> in his lab and co-mentored by Associate Chair of Research and Professor </span><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/srvoss" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Randal Voss</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">, both part of the unofficial "regeneration cluster" in the department, Keinath has conducted research on axolotls, also known as Mexican salamanders. Axolotls, among the most-studied salamanders in the world, can regenerate or regrow a variety of body parts, including limbs and even portions of major organs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Keinath's poster at the Genome 10K Conference will describe the team's recent efforts to sequence and assemble the axolotl genome, a very complex and highly repetitive genome approximately 10 times the size of the human genome. Sequencing the genome could prove useful in understanding how axolotls regenerate, and as the species is considered critically endangered, it could also be useful for conservation efforts.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">More recently, Keinath has begun working on the axolotls' sex chromosome evolution.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">"Axolotls offer a unique perspective on the early stages of sex chromosome evolution, as their sex chromosomes are recently evolved," she said. Keinath is using genomic and cytogenetic approaches to better characterize these sex chromosomes within a few closely related species in the tiger salamander complex.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Learn more about the work of the "regeneration cluster," a dynamic and productive collaboration of researchers in the Department of Biology, in a previous UKNow article and UK Research Communications video at </span><a href="http://uknow.uky.edu/content/talking-bout-regeneration" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">http://uknow.uky.edu/content/talking-bout-regeneration</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Watch Keinath working in the UK Imaging Facility below. Video produced by </span><a href="http://reveal.uky.edu/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">UK Research Communications</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">. </span></p>
<p><iframe align="bottom" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/46247545" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/graduate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">graduate</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/feature" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">feature</a></li></ul></div>Thu, 26 Feb 2015 18:01:59 +0000trra223265508 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduUK Students Win Kentucky Academy of Science Research Competitionshttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/uk-students-win-kentucky-academy-science-research-competitions
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><em>by Whitney Harder</em></p>
<p>(Dec. 18, 2014) — Thirteen University of Kentucky students took home top honors at the Kentucky Academy of Science 100th Annual Meeting in November, where hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students from Kentucky colleges and universities participated in research competitions.</p>
<p>Winners included graduate and undergraduates from the <a href="http://www.ca.uky.edu/" target="_blank">College of Agriculture, Food and Environment</a>, <a href="https://www.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">College of Arts and Sciences</a>, <a href="http://gatton.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Gatton College of Business and Economics</a>, <a href="http://www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences/index.html" target="_blank">College of Health Sciences</a> and <a href="http://www.uky.edu/publichealth/" target="_blank">College of Public Health</a>.</p>
<p>Graduate oral presentations:</p>
<ul><li>Congming Zou, a doctoral candidate in <a href="http://www2.ca.uky.edu/pss/index.php?p=587" target="_blank">soil science</a> from Chongqing, China, won first place in agricultural sciences;</li>
<li>William Witt, a graduate student in <a href="http://www.uky.edu/publichealth/academics/masters-programs/master-public-health" target="_blank">public health</a> from Lexington, won first place in anthropology and sociology;</li>
<li>Xinyi Zhang, a doctoral candidate in <a href="http://chem.as.uky.edu/chemistry-graduate-program" target="_blank">chemistry</a> from Beijing, China, won second place in cellular and molecular biology;</li>
<li>Zhaoshuai Wang, a doctoral candidate in chemistry from Tianjin, China, won third place in cellular and molecular biology;</li>
<li>Trenede M. Garrison, a doctoral candidate in <a href="https://ees.as.uky.edu/grad" target="_blank">geological sciences</a> from Lexington, won second place in geology;</li>
<li>Qian Chai, a graduate student in chemistry from Lexington, won first place in physiology and biochemistry; and</li>
<li>Yuechen Zhu, doctoral candidate in <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/">biology</a> from Suzhou, China, won third place in physiology and biochemistry.</li>
</ul><p>Undergraduate oral presentations:</p>
<ul><li>Heidi Vollrath, a <a href="http://gatton.uky.edu/Undergraduates/Content.asp?PageName=UGlobalScholars" target="_blank">Global Scholar</a> and <a href="http://gatton.uky.edu/Undergraduates/Content.asp?PageName=UManagement" target="_blank">management</a> senior from De Pere, Wisconsin, won first place in anthropology and sociology;</li>
<li>Kelly Snowden, a <a href="http://www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences/hhs/" target="_blank">human health sciences</a> junior from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, won second place in anthropology and sociology;</li>
<li>Holden Hemingway, a biology sophomore with a minor in <a href="file:///C:/Users/wmha223/Documents/December%202014%20News%20Releases/psychology'" target="_blank">psychology</a> from Tiffin, Ohio, won third place in anthropology and sociology;</li>
<li>Michael Bale, a chemistry and <a href="http://pa.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">physics</a> senior with a minor in <a href="https://math.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">mathematics</a> from Dayton, Ohio, won second place in cellular and molecular biology; and</li>
<li>Jerrad Grider, a geological sciences senior from Jamestown, Kentucky, won second place in geology.</li>
</ul><p>Undergraduate poster presentations:</p>
<ul><li>Samuel Potter, a member of the <a href="http://www.uky.edu/academy/honors" target="_blank">Honors Program</a> and <a href="http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Biotechnology/" target="_blank">agricultural biotechnology</a> and biology senior with a minor in <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/minor-neuroscience" target="_blank">neuroscience</a>, from Pikeville, Kentucky, won third place in science education.</li>
</ul><p>More than 800 scientists and students attended the centennial meeting. In addition to student presentations, attendees also had the opportunity to hear from UK professors <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/bio149" target="_blank">Jim Krupa</a>, biology, and <a href="http://www.cs.uky.edu/people/faculty/jjaromczyk" target="_blank">Jerzy W. Jaromczyk</a>, <a href="http://www.as.uky.edu/statistics-doctoral-program" target="_blank">computer science</a>. Kristen McQuerry, project manager for the <a href="https://stat.as.uky.edu/about-asl" target="_blank">Applied Statistics Lab</a> and student in the <a href="http://www.as.uky.edu/statistics-doctoral-program" target="_blank">Department of Statistics doctoral program</a>, Neil Moore, a bioinformatician in the Department of Computer Science, and former UK President Lee Todd Jr. also spoke at the event.</p>
<p>The Kentucky Academy of Science encourages scientific research, promotes the diffusion of scientific knowledge and unifies the scientific interests of the Commonwealth. Faculty, staff and students of the University of Kentucky may become members of the Kentucky Academy of Science at no cost, thanks to <a href="http://www.kyscience.org/" target="_blank">University of Kentucky’s Enhanced Affiliate membership</a>. </p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/chemistry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chemistry</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/geology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">geology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/geology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">geology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/psychology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">psychology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/physics-astronomy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">physics &amp; astronomy</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/mathematics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mathematics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/james-krupa" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">james krupa</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/statistics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">statistics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-9" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/neuroscience" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">neuroscience</a></li></ul></div>Thu, 18 Dec 2014 16:41:01 +0000mngr222260643 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduBiology Professor Helps Bring New York-based Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Therapeutics Company to Lexingtonhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/biology-professor-helps-bring-new-york-based-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-parkinson%E2%80%99s-therapeutics-company-lexington
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Connect-%26-Collaborate.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div>
By Whitney Harder and Carl Nathe</div>
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(Nov. 19, 2014) — <a href="http://gismotherapeutics.com/" target="_blank">Gismo Therapeutics Inc.</a>, a New York-based biotech startup, has recently relocated its company to the <a href="http://www.research.uky.edu/astecc/" target="_blank">University of Kentucky Advanced Science and Technology Commercialization Center</a> (ASTeCC), a business incubator housing new and emerging technology-based companies on UK’s campus. The company is a recipient of a 2014 SBIR Matching Funds grant from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.</div>
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The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP) — comprising business development specialists from UK, Commerce Lexington and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government — celebrated Gismo Therapeutics' and three other out-of-state companies' moves to Lexington Monday to kick-off Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).</div>
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In addition to Gismo Therapeutics, Multi Scale Solutions Inc., Patent Rank and nanoRANCH Environmental Systems LLC are relocating to Lexington. Combined, they will create 17 new jobs in the Commonwealth with average wages over $80,000. The companies specialize in lifesciences, IT/software and environmental technology.</div>
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Gismo Therapeutics Inc. utilizes the cutting-edge technology Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) Interacting Small Molecules (GISMO) that its founder, Paul Gregor, invented, to develop oral therapeutics for the treatment of both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.</div>
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The company’s connection to UK began with <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/bohara" target="_blank">Bruce O’Hara</a>, a <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">biology</a> professor within the <a href="http://www.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">College of Arts and Sciences</a>. O’Hara initially had a small role in the company, serving on its Scientific Advisory Board and providing consulting, but is now the director of research operations.</div>
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O’Hara not only connected Gismo Therapeutics to ASTeCC, but also to the <a href="http://www.uky.edu/coa/" target="_blank">UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging</a>. The company is collaborating with <a href="http://www.uky.edu/coa/about-us/faculty/michael-p-murphy-phd" target="_blank">Michael P. Murphy</a>, associate professor in the<a href="https://biochemistry.med.uky.edu/" target="_blank"> Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry</a> and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Murphy conducts Alzheimer’s research, specifically concentrating on the molecular pathways that it shares with other disorders.</div>
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/resize/img_8723-400x267.jpg" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5; width: 400px; height: 267px; margin: 8px; float: right;" width="400" height="267" /></p>
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The announcement of the relocation comes after the company announced another significant development in October. Gismo Therapeutics received a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health, and a SBIR Matching Funds grant from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, administered by the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC) in Lexington. The funding will go toward investigating therapeutics directed against a newly identified disease pathway in Alzheimer’s disease, according to a company news release.</div>
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“By leveraging the state’s matching program and the intellectual assets of UK’s faculty and research facilities, the BBDP partnership has hit another home run with the addition of these companies to the growing entrepreneurial landscape of Lexington,” said David W. Blackwell, dean of UK’s Gatton College of Business and Economics and Commerce Lexington board member.</div>
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O’Hara expects Gismo Therapeutics' move to help the startup and its research expand in Kentucky, adding to the employment and entrepreneurial spirit in the region, and benefit UK students as well.</div>
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“I believe having Gismo on campus provides great opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students (and faculty and staff) in our biology department to see how startup companies can translate advances in basic research to preclinical and clinical studies,” O’Hara said.</div>
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The opportunities have already begun for one recent UK biology graduate. Elliott Campbell now works full time in the company’s ASTeCC lab before attending medical school next year. During his time as an undergraduate, Campbell received training in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) from Department of Biology Chair <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/vcass2" target="_blank">Vincent Cassone’s</a> lab.</div>
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This is the second company O’Hara has united with ASTeCC. Signal Solutions LLC, co-founded by O’Hara and <a href="http://www.engr.uky.edu/research/researchers/kevin-donohue/" target="_blank">Kevin Donohue</a>, UK Data Beam Professor of <a href="https://www.engr.uky.edu/ece" target="_blank">electrical and computer engineering</a>, was formed in 2009. The company sells products and conducts research associated with their sleep-wake tracking system for mice.</div>
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Lexington is fast becoming a leading location for high-tech information jobs, a key factor in economic growth. The Atlantic City Lab ranked Lexington 17th in America’s Top 25 High-Tech Hotspots. Lexington grew 14.2 percent in high-tech information jobs from 2007–2012.</div>
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O’Hara says there is an “excellent environment here for startups, including lots of assistance from Commerce Lexington, KSTC, ASTeCC, the <a href="http://gatton.uky.edu/vace/" target="_blank">Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship</a>, the Kentucky Innovation Network, and much more, all of which benefit UK, Lexington, and Kentucky as a whole.” </div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, <a href="mailto:whitney.harder@uky.edu">whitney.harder@uky.edu</a> or Carl Nathe, 859-257-3200, <a href="mailto:carl.nathe@uky.edu">carl.nathe@uky.edu</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size:11px;"><em><span style="line-height: 1.5;">Photo:</span><span style="line-height: 1.5;"> Bruce O'Hara, UK biology professor and director of research operations at Gismo Therapeutics Inc. speaks at Commerce Lexington on Monday, Nov. 17. Photo courtesy of Commerce Lexington.</span></em></span></div>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/bruce-ohara" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bruce o&#039;hara</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/lexington" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">lexington</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/gismo-therapeutics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">gismo therapeutics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/vincent-cassone" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">vincent cassone</a></li></ul></div>Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:51:44 +0000brconn2259567 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduWe're All Friends Herehttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/were-all-friends-here
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/We%27re-All-Friends-Here.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div>
By Robin Roenker</div>
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At first glance, the types of work being done by theoretical physicists and philosophers or by biologists and sociologists might seem to be worlds apart. </div>
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But on closer inspection, the questions explored by researchers across the varied fields that make up the <a href="http://www.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">College of Arts &amp; Sciences</a> are often, surprisingly, intertwined. </div>
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Interests in broad issues connect the work of researchers at UK in fields as varied as history, sociology, anatomy, and behavioral neuroscience. English professors focusing on eco-criticism and nature writing are informed by the research of biologists. Psychologists working to understand the neuro-pathways that lead to drug dependency collaborate intimately with faculty in anatomy and neurobiology. </div>
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It’s during these moments of truly cross-disciplinary collaboration that the seeming divide between the so-called “hard” sciences and the social sciences and humanities begins to shrink, if not disappear altogether.</div>
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The addition of several new faculty members at UK has only served to broaden and deepen this integration of the natural sciences across many of the A&amp;S disciplines. The research interests of new faculty members in <a href="https://philosophy.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Philosophy</a>, <a href="https://history.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">History</a>, <a href="https://soc.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Sociology</a>, and <a href="https://psychology.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Psychology</a> as well as a veteran professor of English converge at the rich intersection where the natural and social sciences and the humanities meet.</div>
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<u><strong>Philosophy of Science</strong></u></div>
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<a href="https://philosophy.as.uky.edu/users/mwa229" target="_blank">Meg Wallace</a> is an analytic philosopher who specializes in metaphysics, which is to say that she is a philosopher who spends her time pondering the “essence of things.” Does a table exist? If so, what are its attributes? Do the molecules that make up the table equal the table itself? In other words: can the parts be the same as the whole?</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">While these questions may seem abstract, she attends to them with an analytic rigor bound by precise, definable logical laws.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">“Scientists have mathematics. Philosophy has logic. Certain laws of logic have to hold,” said Wallace, who joined UK’s <a href="https://philosophy.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Philosophy Department</a> as an assistant professor in 2010. “The idea is that we are going to apply the same amount of rigor in exploring these philosophical questions as scientists would use when applying mathematics to their theories.”</span></div>
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Applying analytic skills to theories of the world isn’t the only way that science informs Wallace’s studies. A new course this fall on the Philosophy of Food Ethics taught by <a href="https://philosophy.as.uky.edu/users/rsand1" target="_blank">Bob Sandemeyer</a> will draw upon research from fields like agriculture and environmental and sustainability studies. And Wallace’s 500-level Philosophy of Science course is a popular one. In it she guides her students in analyzing how logical precepts — like Ockham’s Razor, the idea that the simplest solution is often the best — have informed the ways in which scientists perceive and choose between various scientific theories, including, for example, a geocentric versus heliocentric view of the world.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">The class also explores the ways in which research in certain fields of the natural sciences, like theoretical physics, has moved to some degree beyond our ability to directly empirically test it. “That’s really where we tread in the philosophy of science,” Wallace said. “We look at that intersection, when the distinction of what counts as empirical and observable and what isn’t, gets a little blurry.” </span></div>
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<u><strong>The History of Addiction</strong></u></div>
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In the 1600s, coffee and tobacco were virtually unknown to Europe, but by 1700 they were pervasive. These new commodities began making their way in large quantities from the New World, and — almost immediately — users noticed their addictive properties.</div>
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<a href="https://history.as.uky.edu/users/skta222" target="_blank">Scott Taylor</a>, who joined UK’s History faculty in 2012 as an associate professor, researches and teaches about the history of drugs in Western civilization. His forthcoming book traces the introduction of coffee, tea, tobacco, chocolate, sugar, and distilled spirits like rum and gin into European societies between 1590 and 1825.</div>
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By studying early 17th century medical and scientific texts written in England, Spain, France, and the Netherlands — leaders of the maritime trade at that time — Taylor has uncovered evidence of Europeans’ pervasive unease at the seeming addictive properties of these new imports, an idea so new that even physicians then lacked adequate words to clearly express it.</div>
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“Every single one of these things was controversial when it appeared,” said Taylor. “They all had medicinal associations to them, but people started using them for pleasure. It didn’t take long for people to realize that once you smoke tobacco regularly, for example, you can’t stop. The medical writers of the time thought they knew tobacco’s properties, what it does, what it’s good for, how it cures you. But when they tried to talk about how people become addicted, they would go to religious language, saying it’s ‘bewitching,’ or adopt terms like ‘becoming a slave to tobacco,’” Taylor said.</div>
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Taylor’s book will address the ways in which these addictive commodities changed European social structures, impacted trade and slavery, and offer a lens through which to view broad human themes like willpower, class, and gender prejudice.</div>
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<u><strong><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Health, Society and Populations</span></strong></u></div>
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There’s a growing awareness in medical fields that one’s health is directly impacted not only by biological processes but also socio-cultural, behavioral, and psychological influences — so much so that the new, revised <a href="https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/" target="_blank">Medical College Administration Test </a>(MCAT), set to be introduced in 2015, will include a new section emphasizing understanding of the social and behavioral sciences.</div>
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Illustrating this pre-med preparation/curriculum shift, UK’s newly launched <a href="http://health.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Health, Society, and Populations</a> (HSP) major will draw from courses across disciplines to blend insights of both the natural and social sciences in its approach to health studies. “This new liberal arts major will provide students with a greater understanding of the cultural and structural factors that influence who is more or less likely to live a healthy life and have access to the resources necessary to do so,” said <a href="https://anthropology.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">anthropology</a> professor <a href="https://anthropology.as.uky.edu/users/ekoch3" target="_blank">Erin Koch</a>, who will co-direct the new major with <a href="https://soc.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">sociology</a>’s <a href="https://soc.as.uky.edu/users/cboser0" target="_blank">Carrie Oser</a>.</div>
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Koch’s work on responses to tuberculosis in post-Soviet Georgia has produced policy-relevant insights about the strengths and limitations of top-down approaches to public health. While Oser’s work on health disparities and health services utilization among special populations of drug users has led to intervention studies for both patients (HIV interventions) and healthcare providers (collaborating with criminal justice organizations to implement evidenced based practices).</div>
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<a href="https://soc.as.uky.edu/users/mmo272" target="_blank">Mairead Moloney</a>, a medical sociologist who joined the UK <a href="https://soc.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Sociology Department</a> as a new hire this fall, is also affiliated with the new HSP major. She will help develop a new Introduction to Sociology course, which will be required of all UK pre-med students. </div>
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“We’ll talk about the health care system and explore why it is that some populations are healthier than others,” said Moloney. “It will be a real mixture of health care and sociology.”</div>
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Moloney’s own research includes work with hospitals’ transitions to Electronic Medical Records, studies of cancer incidence among minority groups, and a quantitative analysis of 15 years of medical data, which suggests a steep rise in the use of prescription drugs to treat insomnia. “When patients talk about sleeplessness, they often mention hating their job or the stress of caring for children or a parent,” Moloney said. “So there is a real sense that we may be medicalizing or transforming life issues into medical issues via prescriptions of sleep aids.” </div>
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<u><strong>The Psychology of Addiction</strong></u></div>
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Psychologist <a href="https://psychology.as.uky.edu/users/jbe222" target="_blank">Josh Beckmann</a>’s interests in behavioral neuroscience — specifically, the neurotransmitters that may play a role in drug addiction — and his cutting-edge research with UK’s psychopharmacology program have provided him with frequent opportunities to collaborate with UK faculty in the medical and biological sciences.</div>
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For instance, Beckmann and <a href="http://www.mc.uky.edu/cenmet/greg.asp" target="_blank">Greg Gerhardt</a>, in anatomy and neurobiology, are collaborating on a current project that uses state-of-the-art, micro electrodes capable of providing real-time data on the release of different neurotransmitters in rodents’ brains as they intake various substances or perform various tasks that have an abuse potential. The study is one of the first ever to provide researchers with real-time data on neurotransmitter release, according to Beckmann, who joined UK’s <a href="http://psychology.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Psychology Department</a> in Spring 2014, after having completed his postdoctoral fellowship here. </div>
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“In particular, we are measuring the release of a neurotransmitter called glutamate. We know that glutamate is involved in the learning processes in the brain that are associated with memory and reward — and therefore may play a role in reinforcing the use of drugs of abuse in some people,” Beckmann said.</div>
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The goal of Beckmann’s work, at its essence, is to better understand the underlying neuro-circuitry within the brain that can lead to addiction. That work, in turn, may one day inform the development of pharmacotherapies to help substance abusers overcome their addictions.</div>
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<u><strong>Environmental Literature</strong></u></div>
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After receiving mass praise for his critically acclaimed 2006 work "<a href="http://www.penguin.com/book/lost-mountain-by-erik-reece/9781594482366" target="_blank">Lost Mountain: A Year in the Vanishing Wilderness</a>" — an investigation into the environmental effects of radical strip mining in Appalachia — UK <a href="https://english.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">English</a> professor <a href="https://english.as.uky.edu/users/ereec0" target="_blank">Erik Reece</a> followed up in 2013 with "<a href="http://www.ugapress.org/index.php/books/embattled_wilderness/" target="_blank">The Embattled Wilderness: The Natural and Human History of Robinson Forest and the Fight for Its Future</a>," which he co-wrote with UK <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">biology</a> professor <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/bio149" target="_blank">James Krupa</a>.</div>
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Reece’s interest in <a href="http://www2.ca.uky.edu/forestry/robfor.php" target="_blank">Robinson Forest</a> dates back at least a decade, he said, when he first discovered it as a go-to retreat for students in his nature writing class at UK.</div>
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“There are cabins there. You can get the kids away from their screens, since there’s no cell phone reception there. I wanted to find a place where they could go to really get off by themselves, to write in solitude. I was trying to give them that Thoreau experience,” said Reece. </div>
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But because Robinson Forest is surrounded by areas that have been strip mined, Reece and his students came to an unsettling conclusion: “You can’t write about Robinson Forest in a strictly pastoral way, as Thoreau wrote about the natural world. You also have to also write about it as a threatened landscape,” he said.</div>
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Reece’s work is marked by cross-disciplinary collaboration. He teaches courses in both the <a href="https://appalachiancenter.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Appalachian Studies Program</a> and <a href="http://ens.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Environmental and Sustainability Studies</a> major. While researching his books, he collaborated with faculty in biology, forestry, sociology, and anthropology. He has even led a UK course about coal with sociology professor <a href="https://soc.as.uky.edu/users/billing" target="_blank">Dwight Billings</a>. </div>
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“Robinson Forest became a kind of laboratory for me, a way to do real interdisciplinary work and research,” said Reece, whose next project is a look at the Utopian movement in America, from its earliest beginnings in the 19th century to today.</div>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/meg-wallace" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">meg wallace</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/bob-sandmeyer" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bob sandmeyer</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/psychology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">psychology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/philosophy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">philosophy</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/scott-taylor" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">scott taylor</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/history" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">history</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/health-society-and-populations" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Health, Society and Populations</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/carrie-oser" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">carrie oser</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/erin-koch" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">erin koch</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-9" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/mairead-moloney" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mairead moloney</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-10" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/anthropology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">anthropology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-11" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/sociology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">sociology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-12" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/josh-beckmann" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">josh beckmann</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-13" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/greg-gerhardt" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">greg gerhardt</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-14" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/erik-reece" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">erik reece</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-15" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/english" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">english</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-16" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/james-krupa" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">james krupa</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-17" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-18" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/enviromental-and-sustainable-studies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">enviromental and sustainable studies</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-19" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/environment" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">environment</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-20" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/robinson-forest" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">robinson forest</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-21" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/appalachian-studies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">appalachian studies</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-22" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/dwight-billings" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">dwight billings</a></li></ul></div>Wed, 01 Oct 2014 14:42:31 +0000brconn2247707 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduAdd It Up: A Q&A with Chemistry's Mark Meier https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/add-it
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Add-It-Up.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">By Scott Bradley and Jon Milby</span></div>
<div> </div>
<div><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">The <a href="http://www.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">College of Arts &amp; Sciences</a> is making strides in its representation of computational sciences, complementing recent faculty recruitment efforts in several departments with a new computing environment designed to meet the needs of researchers.</span></div>
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<div>The scale of available computing systems has often limited computational researchers. Supercomputing environments such as those owned by UK and other national organizations have impressive resources available, but are not always a practical option for some types of research. These systems are designed to run continuously and at capacity, creating queues that may make it impractical to run smaller workloads or test new algorithms. </div>
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<div>At the other end of the scale, individual workstations address availability issues, but are inherently limited in the amount of resources they can provide. A well-equipped workstation often lacks the computing power required to run even moderately complex simulations in a practical timeframe. The new computing cluster in A&amp;S will strike a balance between these two extremes, providing researchers with access to expanded computing resources while retaining a great degree of flexibility and availability.</div>
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<div>The new College of Arts &amp; Sciences Research Computing cluster (which made its campus debut in the summer of 2014) shares the basic design elements of a modern supercomputer, though at a smaller scale and lower cost. Multiple systems are linked together within a high bandwidth, low latency framework, allowing researchers to run demanding applications across hundreds of processors simultaneously. </div>
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<div>The cluster is approximately one-tenth of the scale of a typical supercomputer, but offers resources several times greater than what can be offered by a single workstation. This new system will provide researchers with access to large-scale resources with little to no wait time. By addressing this need and removing common obstacles to research computation, A&amp;S faculty will be able to perform their research more efficiently.</div>
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<div><em>Q&amp;A with <a href="https://chem.as.uky.edu/users/meier" target="_blank">Mark Meier</a>, Department of Chemistry</em></div>
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<div>Q: How has your field of research evolved over time to get to this point?</div>
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<div>A: Ten years ago, it was inconceivable that you could computationally handle interactions between proteins and solvent, ions and water, modeling 20,000 water molecules at the quantum level. But now, the code and the computational power is there to allow us to look at the question: Can we model the real world in that kind of detail on systems that are reasonably large?</div>
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<div>Q: How exciting is it to see the new computational hires coming together?</div>
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<div>A: It will be very interesting to get our new computational hires in <a href="https://chem.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Chemistry</a>, <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Biology</a>, and others together to talk. These people have tremendous tools to bear. It’s very exciting to put them all in a building together, close to the Department of Biology and the <a href="http://pharmacy.mc.uky.edu/" target="_blank">College of Pharmacy</a>, allowing us to begin to get interactions back and forth between people that see the problem in the clinic, and the people who can model the problems. There’s potential for some tremendous synergy with the location of the <a href="https://chem.as.uky.edu/21st-century-crossroads-science" target="_blank">Academic Science Building</a> being at the interface between Chemistry, Biology, Pharmacy and the clinical units in the medical center. The same goes for interactions between Chemistry and the <a href="http://www.caer.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Center for Applied Energy Research</a>. </div>
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<div>Q: What’s the main bottleneck right now as far as the amount of computational research that can be done?</div>
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<div>A: People. UK Chemistry did not hire computational people during a generation when other research universities did, so we’re a bit behind in this area. I’m really excited about <a href="https://chem.as.uky.edu/users/pmke226" target="_blank">Pete Kekenes-Huskey</a> and <a href="https://chem.as.uky.edu/users/cmri235" target="_blank">Chad Risko</a> - they are perfect fits for UK. They will strengthen the Chemistry Department along with a number of other programs.</div>
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<div>Q: How do you expect the Academic Science Building to affect Computation Research?</div>
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<div>A: This is going to have a tremendous, positive influence on a number of aspects of the research program in Chemistry and around the university. We’re going to be able to gather together people like the computational folks and their collaborators within Chemistry, to get some feedback and to discover new areas for collaboration.</div>
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<div>A beautiful facility like this will have an enormous impact on our ability to recruit the best and brightest graduate students, the best and brightest future faculty, and the best and brightest undergraduates. My firm belief is that the ASB will have a very positive influence on many aspects of the research enterprise at UK in addition to the obvious benefits for the teaching program, for decades and decades to come.</div>
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</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/mark-meier" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mark meier</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/computers" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">computers</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/chemistry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chemistry</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">research</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/academic-science-building" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">academic science building</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-pharmacy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of pharmacy</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/center-applied-energy-research" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">center for applied energy research</a></li></ul></div>Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:59:30 +0000brconn2247215 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduChellgren Center Honors 43 New Fellowshttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/chellgren-center-honors-43-new-fellows
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><em>by Jenny Wells</em></p>
<p><img alt="Paul Chellgren, left, talks with the 2014-15 class of Chellgren Fellows." src="/sites/default/files/resize/chellows_reception-450x300.jpg" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5; width: 450px; height: 300px; margin: 5px; float: right;" width="450" height="300" />(Aug. 26, 2014) — The <a href="http://www.uky.edu/academy/about_Chellgren" target="_blank">University of Kentucky Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence</a> honored its newest class of <a href="http://www.uky.edu/academy/student_fellows" target="_blank">Chellgren Fellows</a> this past weekend. Benefactor Paul Chellgren, along with Chellgren Endowed Chair Philipp Kraemer, recognized and congratulated the students on being named Fellows.</p>
<p>The Chellgren Fellows Program is for students with exceptional academic potential and aspirations, who are eager to participate in a special learning community designed to cultivate extraordinary achievement. Outstanding faculty members from across campus serve as individual mentors for the Fellows.</p>
<p>The students selected as 2014-15 Chellgren Fellows include:</p>
<ul><li>Shiza Arshad, an international studies and Chinese double major from Lexington<br />
</li>
<li>Evelyn Beckert, an undergraduate studies major from Henderson, Ky.<br />
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<li>Stacey Brothers, a psychology and Spanish double major from Florence, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Elysha Calhoun, a chemical engineering major from Independence, Ky. <br />
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<li>David Cole, an English major from Monticello, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Ashley Cutshaw, a biosystems engineering major from Kalamazoo, Mich. <br />
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<li>Emily Daley, a chemical engineering major from LaGrange, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Thomas Daley, a biology major from Franklin, Ohio<br />
</li>
<li>Sabita Dumre, a biology major from Lexington<br />
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<li>Abraham Dutch, a computer science and mathematics double major from Lexington<br />
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<li>Taylor Elder, a psychology and kinesiology double major from Kent, Ohio<br />
</li>
<li>Marley Foertsch, a biology major from Wyndmere, N.D.<br />
</li>
<li>Janet Hall, a psychology major from Fort Thomas, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Kyle Hancock, undeclared major from Frankfort, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Kaylee Hicks, an international studies (Latin American Global Development) major; pre-medicine from Versailles, Ky. <br />
</li>
<li>Ross Hildabrand, an accounting, economics and finance triple major from Brentwood, Tenn.<br />
</li>
<li>Ameena Khan, a psychology major from Frankfort, Ky. <br />
</li>
<li>Hannah Latta, a biology major from Mayfield, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Kaitlin Lemaster, an animal science and chemistry double major from Louisa, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Ryan McElhose, a psychology major from Hinton, Iowa<br />
</li>
<li>Zerina Mehic, animal science major; pre-veterinary science from Twin Falls, Idaho<br />
</li>
<li>Caroline Nickerson, a mechanical engineering major from Stevens Point, Wis.<br />
</li>
<li>Marie Noel, an equine science and management double major from Rineyville, Ky.<br />
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<li>Meredith O'Dell, a geology major from Richmond, Ky.<br />
</li>
<li>Michael Parsons, an international studies and Spanish double major from Lexington<br />
</li>
<li>Nathan Petrie, an English major from Independence, Ky.<br />
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<li>Boone Proffitt, a civil engineering major from Louisville<br />
</li>
<li>Sibi Rajendran, a biology major from Frankfort, Ky. <br />
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<li>William Reichert, a chemical engineering major from Louisville<br />
</li>
<li>Matthew Resch, a mathematics major from Stafford, Va. <br />
</li>
<li>Paige Richie, an international studies and political science double major from Mason, Ohio<br />
</li>
<li>Rebecca Schladt, a civil engineering major from Lexington<br />
</li>
<li>Abby Schroering, a theater and art history double major from Louisville<br />
</li>
<li>Austin Sprinkles, a political science major from Barbourville, Ky. <br />
</li>
<li>Loretta Stafford, a political science major from Madisonville, Ky. <br />
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<li>Angelo Stekardis, a computer engineering major from Prospect, Ky. <br />
</li>
<li>Danielle Stephens, a biology major from Salyersville, Ky. <br />
</li>
<li>Anna Townsend, a biology major from Crestwood, Ky. <br />
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<li>Ava Vargason, a chemical engineering major from Iowa City, Iowa<br />
</li>
<li>Madeline Wagner, a nursing major from Springfield, Ill.<br />
</li>
<li>Natalie Watkins, an English major from Barrington, Ill. <br />
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<li>Jared Wittrock, a chemical engineering major from Alexandria, Ky. <br />
</li>
<li>Samantha Young, a marketing and management double major from Channahon, Ill. </li>
</ul><p> </p>
<p><img alt="2014-15 Chellgren Fellows" src="/sites/default/files/resize/chellows-450x300.jpg" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5; width: 450px; height: 300px; float: left; margin: 5px;" width="450" height="300" />The Chellgren Fellows Program was made possible by the Chellgren Center, which was created in 2005 with an initial gift from Paul Chellgren and his family. <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">His total commitment of $2.25 million was matched by the state’s Endowment Match Program, creating a $4.5 million endowment for the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence.</span></p>
<p>As a UK undergraduate, Chellgren was an Honors Program student and star intercollegiate debater. After earning his MBA from Harvard and a D.D.E. from Oxford University, he began a successful career that culminated with his retirement as chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. He was inducted into UK’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2000 and the Gatton College of Business and Economics Hall of Fame in 1995, and served on the UK Board of Trustees for 11 years. His commitment to improving and enriching undergraduate education at UK continues to impact thousands of UK students, faculty and staff.</p>
<p>The Chellgren Center is part of the <a href="http://www.uky.edu/academy/" target="_blank">Academy of Undergraduate Excellence</a> within the <a href="http://www.uky.edu/UGE/" target="_blank">Division of Undergraduate Education</a> at UK.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/chellgren-fellows-program" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chellgren fellows program</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/chellgren-center" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chellgren center</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/international-studies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">international studies</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/chinese" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chinese</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/psychology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">psychology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/spanish" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">spanish</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/english" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">english</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/mathematics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mathematics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-9" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/geology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">geology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-10" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/political-science" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">political science</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-11" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/hispanic-studies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hispanic studies</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-12" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/jannett-hall" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">jannett hall</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-13" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/shiza-arshad" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">shiza arshad</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-14" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/stacey-brothers" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">stacey brothers</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-15" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/david-cole" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">david cole</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-16" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/thomas-daley" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">thomas daley</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-17" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/sabita-dumre" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">sabita dumre</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-18" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/abraham-dutch" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">abraham dutch</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-19" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/taylor-elder" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">taylor elder</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-20" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/marley-foertsch" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">marley foertsch</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-21" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/kaylee-hicks" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">kaylee hicks</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-22" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ameena-khan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ameena khan</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-23" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ryan-mcelhose" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ryan mcelhose</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-24" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/meredith-odell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">meredith o&#039;dell</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-25" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/michael-parsons" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">michael parsons</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-26" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/nathan-petrie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">nathan petrie</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-27" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/sibi-rajendran" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">sibi rajendran</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-28" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/mathew-resch" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mathew resch</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-29" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/paige-richie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">paige richie</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-30" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/austin-sprinkles" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">austin sprinkles</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-31" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/loretta-stafford" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">loretta stafford</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-32" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/danielle-stephens" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">danielle stephens</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-33" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/anna-townsend" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">anna townsend</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-34" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/natalie-watkins" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">natalie watkins</a></li></ul></div>Tue, 26 Aug 2014 20:00:10 +0000mngr222246307 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduReputation Buildinghttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/reputation-building
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Reputation-Building.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>By Mary Venuto</p>
<p>The <a href="http://darwin.uky.edu/~erec/" target="_blank">Ecological Research and Education Center</a> (EREC) has reached an important milestone in becoming a recognized field station.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">For eighteen years the <a href="http://darwin.uky.edu/~erec/" target="_blank">Ecological Research Facility</a> (ERF), located on the north side of town, was used as a site for controlled experiments. Four years ago the University of Kentucky bought a former library building that was adjacent to ERF. With financial assistance from LexMark, ERF was able to become a field station. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">University of Kentucky biology faculty and undergraduate students have since used the Ecological Research and Education Center for a broad range of ecological environmental and genomic research. In addition to research, EREC is also involved in furthering the education of undergraduate students and community outreach. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Now those at EREC wish to heighten the field station’s reputation. <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Biology</a> professor <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/pcrowley" target="_blank">Philip Crowley</a> and collaborators came together to write a planning grant to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The approved “Field Station Planning for the Ecological Research Center at the University of Kentucky” grant will fund workshops and multiple discussions to advance the goals of EREC.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">“What we need is input from outside,” said Crowley, “People who have done this successfully.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">During the 17 month project period, experienced field station leaders and academics from varying universities will come to EREC to give their input on how to advance everybody’s cause. By receiving fresh and new ideas from outside sources, EREC is taking a step forward in becoming nationally and internationally important.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">“This puts us in a much better position to seek funding and to recruit researchers and students to implement these ideas,” said Crowley</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Crowley is optimistic that after the workshops, EREC will be better situated to increase its research activity and productivity of dissertations. In addition to research output, Crowley hopes that the teaching component of EREC will also be strengthened to benefit undergraduate lab students.</span></p>
<p><em>More coverage of the <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">Ecological Research and Education Center</span></em><br /><strong>Photos</strong><br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/photos/album/2492" target="_blank">http://bio.as.uky.edu/photos/album/2492</a><br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/photos/album/6014" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">http://bio.as.uky.edu/photos/album/6014</a></p>
<p><strong>Stories</strong><br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/nsf-erf-facilitate-research-experiences-undergraduates" target="_blank">http://bio.as.uky.edu/nsf-erf-facilitate-research-experiences-undergraduates</a><br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/birds-dr-david-westneat-explores-what-sparrows-teach-us-about-parenting-behavior" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">http://bio.as.uky.edu/birds-dr-david-westneat-explores-what-sparrows-teach-us-about-parenting-behavior</a></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ecological-research-facility" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ecological research facility</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/phillip-crowley" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">philip crowley</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ecological-research-and-education-center" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ecological research and education center</a></li></ul></div>Thu, 10 Jul 2014 20:27:09 +0000brconn2244583 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduUK Awarded $1.9 Million to Improve Retention of STEM Majorshttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/uk-awarded-19-million-improve-retention-stem-majors
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/STEM-HMMI.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><em>by Keith Hautala</em></p>
<p>(June 3, 2014) <strong>— </strong>The University of Kentucky has been awarded a $1.9 million grant to improve retention of students in the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics, through a collection of initiatives dubbed "STEMCats."</p>
<p>UK is one of 37 research institutions selected by the <a href="http://www.hhmi.org/" target="_blank">Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)</a> to receive an award, from among 170 <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">institutions competing for a share of $60 million in total funding. The five-year awards, ranging from $1.2 to $2.4 million, are intended to enable schools to focus on "significant and sustained improvement in retaining students" in the STEM disciplines.</span></p>
<p><img alt="Professor Vincent Cassone" src="/sites/default/files/resize/see_vision_6-3-400x265.jpg" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5; width: 400px; height: 265px; margin: 5px; float: right;" width="400" height="265" /></p>
<p>Although the need for STEM graduates is growing nationally, fewer than half of all students who enter college with the intention of majoring in a<span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">STEM field leave with a STEM degree. Nationwide, STEM matriculation rates hover around 40 percent, but the rate is only half that, roughly 20 percent, among historically underrepresented ethnic groups.</span></p>
<p>Part of the challenge for educators is that many first-year students arrive on college campuses without adequate preparation for the rigors of <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">college-level science and math, said Professor </span><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/vcass2" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Vincent Cassone</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">, chair of the UK </span><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank">Department of Biology</a><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;"> and STEMCats project director. </span></p>
<p>"They have no idea what to expect, and I think it comes as a shock to some of them just how much work is actually involved in passing an introductory-level STEM class," Cassone said. "By the time they realize it, they may already be in trouble. It's not that they can't do the work. They just are not mentally and psychologically prepared for the challenges they face at the university level. The STEMCats initiatives are designed to help students get ready to succeed."</p>
<p>UK is partnering on these initiatives with colleagues from <a href="http://www.bluegrass.kctcs.edu/">Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC)</a>. Tammy Liles, BCTC's associate dean for natural science, is associate STEMCats project director.</p>
<p>"BCTC is excited to be a partner in this very innovative STEMCats program," Liles said. "With both institutions working together to increase and retain students in the STEM pipeline, STEM students at BCTC will have opportunities to work in UK research facilities, live in STEM-designated communities at UK, and be part of a FastTrack student cohort designed to remove barriers of success while enhancing STEM opportunities and knowledge." </p>
<p><a href="https://history.as.uky.edu/users/kornbluh" target="_blank">Mark Lawrence Kornbluh</a>, dean of the UK College of Arts and Sciences, said that collaboration is a core strength of the STEMCats project.</p>
<p>"The strong collaborative relationship of this grant is a hallmark to the initiative, and will serve the program well in its multi-layered approach to improving student success, diversity and retention in STEM education," Kornbluh said. "The grant’s attention to all areas of instruction — in-class pedagogy, co-curricular research experience, preparatory training, residential life experience, among others — demonstrates the thoughtful commitment the university as a whole has to the success of STEM education at UK."</p>
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/ncur_2013_sarah_whelan-400x267.jpg" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5; width: 400px; height: 267px; float: left; margin: 5px;" width="400" height="267" />UK President <a href="http://www.uky.edu/President/biography.html" target="_blank">Eli Capilouto</a> said the HHMI award provides critical support for the future of university research, which will in turn produce dividends for the Commonwealth and the nation as a whole.</p>
<p>"The twenty-first century economy, and Kentucky’s future economic readiness, will be built upon innovative solutions to complex challenges," Capilouto said. "At the leading edge of the innovation-based economy is the American research university, the faculty who create new knowledge through research and discovery, and the students we teach. The grant support from HHMI we are announcing today will bolster our effort — in partnership with BCTC — to improve retention rates in STEM education, to create a talented workforce for Kentucky, and to prepare the next generation of creative scholars."</p>
<p>The STEMCats project has five key components, each aimed at improving the recruitment, preparation and retention of STEM majors.</p>
<p><strong>1. </strong><strong>'FastTrack' Courses for Math, Biology, Chemistry and Physics</strong><br />
To improve preparation of incoming students, two residential <a href="https://www.as.uky.edu/fasttrack" target="_blank">FastTrack</a> courses, in biology and chemistry, will be offered preceding their fall admission, in addition to the successful math <a href="https://www.as.uky.edu/fasttrack-faq">FastTrack</a> courses already being offered. Similarly, a physics FastTrack course will be offered preceding the start of the physics curriculum in the sophomore year. Each course will be one week in duration.</p>
<p><strong>2. </strong><strong>STEMCats Living Learning Community</strong><br />
Based on the successful model of the "Wired" Arts and Sciences freshman residential college, students enrolled in the STEMCats program will be immersed in a community of learners within one of the residence halls on campus. There, they will engage in constant community-based academic and social activities. STEMCats from underrepresented minorities will have additional support from sophomore mentors from minority backgrounds, who will also reside in the community.</p>
<p><strong>3. </strong><strong>Freshman STEM Research Course</strong><br />
A new, multidisciplinary and inquiry-based research course — containing discussions, seminars, workshops, discovery-based wet-lab activities, and scientific and professional development activities — will be piloted in a year-round course that meets weekly. Course meetings will be conducted by a Community of Scholars, comprising research faculty from across campus and by invited external experts.</p>
<p><strong>4. </strong><strong>Team-based Summer Research Experience</strong><br />
During the summer session at the end of their freshman year, groups of eight to 10 STEMCats will join a research project in a laboratory of a faculty member in the Community of Scholars. STEM faculty across campus will be recruited as mentors for a cohort of 200-250 students each summer. The research experience will be enriched by research-related educational and professional activities, including students' presentation of their work in science forums.</p>
<p><strong>5. </strong><strong>Improving Introductory STEM Curriculum</strong><br />
Following the successful model of the current, two-part "Calculus for Life Sciences" series, new introductory chemistry and physics courses will be developed, with an interdisciplinary focus and a life-sciences orientation. Biology-enriched chemistry introductory courses are already underway.</p>
<p><img alt="President Eli Capilouto " src="/sites/default/files/resize/img_9491-400x267.jpg" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5; width: 400px; height: 267px; float: right; margin: 5px;" width="400" height="267" /></p>
<p>These contact-intensive initiatives are being developed alongside vast advances in instructional technology, such as MOOCs (massive <span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">online </span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">open courses), which enable thousands of students to share a virtual classroom with a virtually unlimited seating capacity. Incorporating digital texts, video-based lectures, interactive virtual demonstrations, online discussion, and self-administered quizzes, MOOCs can be a cost-effective way to provide standardized instruction to many students at once.</span></p>
<p><br />
UK launched its own successful Basic <a href="https://www.coursera.org/course/advancedchemistry" target="_blank">Chemistry MOOC</a> this spring, developed by UK faculty in partnership with the educational technology company <a href="http://www.uky.edu/coursera/">Coursera</a>. Some 10,000 registered for the eight-week, college-preparatory course, far exceeding the university's expectations.<br /><br />
While advances in instructional technology are helping instructors to be more effective, Cassone says there is still a real need for direct interaction between students and teachers.</p>
<p>"While the inclusion of instructional technology is a very exciting addition to the lexicon of educational tools in higher education, engaging students by committed professors and instructors, and exposing students to scientific research early in their academic lives will be critical in improving retention in diverse STEM majors and future careers," he said. "This is what STEMCats is all about — technology and scientific research with a human touch." </p>
<p><strong>MEDIA CONTACT: Keith Hautala, </strong><a href="mailto:keith.hautala@uky.edu"><strong>keith.hautala@uky.edu</strong></a><strong>, (859) 323-2396</strong></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/chemistry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chemistry</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/mathematics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mathematics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/bctc" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bctc</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/physics-astronomy" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">physics &amp; astronomy</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/stem" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">stem</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/students" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">students</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/undergraduate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">undergraduate</a></li></ul></div>Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:12:50 +0000brconn2244104 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduBiology Student Slavina Goleva Awarded Summer Research Fellowshiphttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/biology-student-slavina-goleva-awarded-summer-research-fellowship
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Summer-Plans-Are-Set-OLD.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p>
<p>Slavina Goleva, a sophomore Biology major from Bulgaria, was recently awarded the <a href="http://www.the-aps.org/" target="_blank">American Physiological Society</a>’s Undergraduate Summer Research Fellowship for the summer of 2014. Her proposal, entitled “Mitochondrial gene expression and spontaneous hypertension in the African Green Monkey,” was selected from a highly competitive group of undergraduate research proposals. Her proposal was sponsored by <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jlosbo3" target="_blank">Jeffrey L. Osborn</a>, UK Professor and Associate Chair in the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/" target="_blank">Department of Biology</a>. APS funds only 24 undergraduate students throughout the nation for the intensive 10-week summer research fellowship. In addition to the fellowship award, Slavina received a travel grant to attend the 2015 <a href="http://experimentalbiology.org/2014/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Experimental Biology</a> conference in Boston to present her original research data.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/undergraduate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">undergraduate</a></li></ul></div>Wed, 16 Apr 2014 19:36:59 +0000nrsa222242158 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduRibble Graduate Fellow Research Seminar "Two Novel Functions for Insm1 in Retinal Development"https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/ribble-fellow-research-seminar
<div class="field field-name-field-asdate field-type-datetime field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Date:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single">09/10/2013 - <span class="date-display-start" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2013-09-10T16:00:00-04:00">4:00pm</span> to <span class="date-display-end" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2013-09-10T17:00:00-04:00">5:00pm</span></span></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-location field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">116 TH Morgan Bldg.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-presenter field-type-text field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Speaker(s) / Presenter(s):&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Marie Forbes-Osborne</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p>
<p><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/maforb2">Marie Forbes-Osborne</a> is the 2012-13 recipient of the Gertrude Ribble Graduate Fellowship. During this period, she published the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/insulinoma-associated-1a-insm1a-required-photoreceptor-differentiation-zebrafish-retina">results of her research project</a> on the role of the Insm1a gene on zebrafish photoreceptor differentiation in the journal <em>Developmental Biology</em>. Marie will present the current status and recent results of her continuing investigations.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags/Keywords: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/graduate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">graduate</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li></ul></div><div class="field field-name-field-event-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Type of Event (for grouping events): </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/event-type/ribble-graduate-fellow-research-seminar" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ribble Graduate Fellow Research Seminar</a></li></ul></div><ul class="links inline"><li class="calendar_link first last"><a href="/calendar-asdate/month" title="View the calendar.">Calendar</a></li>
</ul>Wed, 21 Aug 2013 22:01:06 +0000biosearch202713 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduBiology Graduate Student Awards & Accomplishmentshttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/biology-graduate-student-awards-accomplishments
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Top-Shelf-BIO-Awards%26Accomplishments_1.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div>
<h3>
Kudos to our graduate students for their many successes!</h3>
<h3>
<br /><strong>Spring 2018</strong></h3>
<p><u><strong>Awards</strong></u></p>
<p><strong>Cagney Coomer</strong> (Morris Lab) received the <strong>Community Service Award</strong> at the <strong>2017 Women of Color STEM Conference</strong> in Detroit, MI and received the <strong>2018 MLK Leadership Award</strong> from the <strong>Kentucky MLK Commission</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>Megan Rhoads</strong> (Osborn Lab) Competed and was selected as one of the onsite trainee poster competition winners for her poster titled "Prevalence of Spontaneous Hypertension in African Green Monkeys is Age-related" at the <strong>American Heart Association Council on Hypertension</strong> September 2017 meeting in San Francisco, CA.</p>
<p><strong>Chelsea Weaver</strong> (Osborn Lab) was awarded a $700 Ribble mini-grant that allowed her to travel to St. Kitts for 10 days this summer and learn various techniques for working with the African Green Monkeys within the colony.</p>
<p><u><strong>Fellowships</strong></u></p>
<p><strong>Brittany Slabach</strong> (Crowley Lab) Dean's Competitive Graduate Fellowship, College of Arts and Sciences, UK - Spring 2018.</p>
<p><u><strong>Honors</strong></u></p>
<p><strong>Kayla Titialii </strong>(Morris Lab) attended the <strong>2017 Women of Color STEM Conference</strong> as graduate student mentor.</p>
<p><strong>Ren Guerriero</strong> (O’Hara Lab) Quantitative EEG and Neurofeedback Certificate Program Stens Corporation, July 25-28<sup>th</sup>, 2017. This four-day course included lecture and large amount of hands-on work with quantitative EEG (electroencephalography) and neurofeedback. Topics covered included basic neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, instrumentation, electrode placement, and neurofeedback.</p>
<p> </p>
<h3>
<strong>Spring 2017</strong></h3>
<p><u><strong>Fellowships</strong></u></p>
<p><strong>Chelsea Weaver </strong>(Osborn Lab) received 2 year pre-doctoral fellowship from the <strong>American Heart Association </strong>based on my grant, <strong><em>"The African Green Monkey: A Novel Model of Spontaneous Hypertensive Pregnancy Disorders."</em></strong> This award will allow me to study renal function and circadian rhythmicity of blood pressure during hypertensive pregnancy disorders such as gestational hypertension, chronic hypertension, and hypertension with pathophysiological characteristics of pre-eclampsia in the African Green Monkey.</p>
<p><strong>Biology Merit Fellowship</strong> - The Biology Merit Fellowship is awarded to a PhD student in their 1st or 2nd year who has demonstrated exceptional promise. The fellowship provides a stipend commensurate with a TA salary for a pre-quals student and tuition.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;"><strong>Varun Dwaraka</strong> (Voss Lab) fall 2017</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;"><strong>Allyssa Kilanowski</strong> (Westneat Lab) fall 2017</p>
<p><strong>Morgan Graduate Fellowship</strong> - The Morgan Graduate Fellowship is awarded to a PhD student who has passed their qualifying exam, has demonstrated meritorious progress toward their degree, and has clear plans for enhancing their dissertation. The fellowship provides a stipend commensurate with a TA salary and tuition for either 1 or 2 terms.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;"><strong>Emily Bendall</strong> (Linnen Lab) spring 2018</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;"><strong>Rose Marks</strong> (McLetchie Lab) 2017-18 Academic Year</p>
<p><strong>Biology Teaching Fellowship</strong> – The Biology Teaching Fellowship is designed to enhance the teaching experience of a post-qualifying student who is targeting a more teaching-oriented career. The Fellowship will involve full responsibility for one section of Biology 103 in spring 2018. Dr. Jennifer Osterhage, Biology DUS and Bill Burke, Associate Director of the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT) will mentor the recipient.</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;"><strong>Luc Dunoyer</strong> (Seifert Lab) spring 2018</p>
<p><strong>Lyman T. Johnson Diversity Fellowship– </strong>Awarded to Graduate Students who contribute to the University of Kentucky’s student diversity.</p>
<p> <strong>Kayla Titialii</strong> (Morris Lab) fall 2017</p>
<p><strong><u>Awards</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>Biology’s Outstanding TAs for 2016-2017</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Brandon Franklin</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Justin Kratovil*</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Schyler Nunziata</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Megan Rhoads</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Jim Shaffer</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Chanung Wang*</p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Chelsea Weaver*</p>
<p><strong>A&amp;S Outstanding TA Award Recipients</strong></p>
<p style="margin-left:.5in;">Justin Kratovil and Chanung Wang</p>
<p><strong>Nick Carrara</strong> (Famulski Lab) was awarded: <em>"The Sherwood and Janet Roberts Blue Memorial Scholarship"</em> From the <strong>Foundation Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>Cagney "CC" Coomer</strong> (Morris Lab) received a <strong>University of Kentucky Inclusive Excellence award </strong>and the <strong>Sullivan Medallion</strong>. The <strong>Inclusive</strong><strong> Excellence Award</strong> "recognizes the accomplishments of individuals and teams that demonstrate a sustained commitment to diversity and inclusion through exemplary leadership and campus and community involvement," and the <strong>Sullivan Award</strong> is "the highest award the university presents for humanitarian efforts." Both awards recognize Cagney's involvement with <strong>NERD Squad</strong>, an organization that she founded, which seeks to expose underrepresented students in elementary, middle, and high school to STEM fields and careers, while also offering tutoring and peer mentoring services.</p>
<p><strong>Varun Dwaraka</strong> (Voss Lab) received the<strong> AAAS/Science Program for Excellence in Science </strong>Award - This program rewards deserving graduate students and postdocs working in the life sciences with a one-year sponsored membership in AAAS/Science, July 2017 - August 2018.</p>
<p><strong>Megan Rhoads</strong> (Osborn Lab) received the <strong>American Physiological Society Teaching of Physiology Research Recognition Award </strong>and $500 for her abstract titled “<em>Problem-based learning increases motivation and learning strategy use in both low- and high- achieving students in an upper-level undergraduate physiology course.”</em></p>
<p><strong>Chelsea Weaver</strong> (Osborn Lab) received a $700 Ribble mini-grant to travel to St. Kitts this summer (June 28-Aug 6, 2017) for field research at the colony.</p>
<p><strong><u>Grants</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>Allyssa Kilanowski</strong> (Westneat Lab) received a $500 Research Grant from the <strong>Kentucky Society of Natural History</strong>. <em>Water strider dispersal, personality and population dynamics: Linking personality to metapopulation dynamics- </em>Funds are to conduct preliminary experiments on water striders to 1) determine if they exhibit behavioral phenotypes, and 2) quantify dispersal distance daily and monthly. This research is to evaluate the potential of water striders for a dissertation research species. Allyssa also received a $300 Travel Grant from the <strong>Ecological Society of America Student Chapter to </strong>attend the Ecological Society of America annual meeting and give an oral presentation. The presentation, “<em>Female-Biased Size Dimorphism in the Cliff Chipmunk: Ontogeny, Seasonality, and Fecundity</em>”, focused on the development of sexual dimorphism of juvenile chipmunks and tested the fecundity hypothesis selection as an explanation for female-biased sexual dimorphism.</p>
<p><strong><u>Honors</u></strong></p>
<p><strong>Megan Weaver</strong> and <strong>Nick Carrara</strong> (Famulski Lab) both received honorable mention in their applications for the NSF GRFP this spring.</p>
<p><strong>Kaylynne Glover</strong> (Crowley Lab) was elected as the Graduate Student Congress President. Kaylynne is also serving on the Provost's Blue-Ribbon Panel for Graduate Education, Chair of the Subcommittee on Graduate Student Experience.</p>
<h3>
<br />
Spring 2016</h3>
<h3>
<br />
Fellowships</h3>
<p><br /><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/pmhi222">Paul Hime</a> (<a href="http://sweb.uky.edu/~dweis2">Weisrock Lab</a>) was awarded the prestigious Blue Waters Graduate Research Fellowship from the NSF-funded National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). This award will fund his last year of doctoral work and will provide access to the ridiculously powerful Blue Waters Petascale Supercomputing Cluster. Paul says he will use this opportunity to develop new computational approaches to Bayesian phylogenetic inference. Only ten of these fellowships are awarded each year nation-wide.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/mkhick2">Megan Rhoads</a> (<a href="http://www.i-m.mx/osbornlab/Osborn_Lab/">Osborn Lab</a>) was awarded an American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship. This two-year award will fund her proposal titled “Sympathetic Nerve Activity and T-Lymphocytes in Spontaneously Hypertensive Caribbean Vervets.” This project focuses on how sympathetic activation alters the adaptive immune system in a non-human primate model of spontaneous hypertension. Megan will focus on how T-lymphocyte cytokine secretion and inflammatory cascades are affected by sympathetic nerve activity and how the two systems together may contribute to the development and maintenance of spontaneous hypertension.</p>
<h3>
<strong>Awards</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/skbi222">Shishir Biswas</a> (<a href="http://ashleyseifert.com/">Seifert Lab</a>) and <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/bsl223">Brittany Slabach</a> (<a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/pcrowley">Crowley Lab</a>) were awarded the College of Arts and Sciences Certificate for Outstanding Teaching. The award recognizes excellence in undergraduate instruction by Teaching Assistants. In addition to this recognition they each received $500.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/skbi222">Shishir Biswas</a> and <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/spu228">Sruthi Purushothaman</a> (<a href="http://ashleyseifert.com/">Seifert Lab</a>) both received travel awards from the Society for Developmental Biology to attend the 75th Annual Society for Developmental Biology Meeting this coming August in Boston and a satellite symposium on the Evolution of Regenerative Abilities. Shishir will present a poster about his transcriptomics work with spiny mice and Sruthi will present results from her work looking at the genetic basis for patterning during salamander limb regeneration.</p>
<p>Cagney Coomer (<a href="http://annmorrislab.weebly.com/">Morris Lab</a>) recently received a travel award to attend the 2016 NEURAL (National Enhancement of Underrepresented Academic Leaders) Conference at the University of Alabama Birmingham June 22-24. At the conference, she won both an Outstanding Poster Award AND a $1000 travel award for her "science shark tank" presentation. She is using the new travel award to attend the Gordon Research Conference on Visual System Development in Vermont this coming August.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/mkhick2">Megan Rhoads </a>(<a href="http://www.i-m.mx/osbornlab/Osborn_Lab/">Osborn Lab</a>) was awarded the American Physiological Society Caroline tum Suden Award for her abstract titled “Alpha and Beta Adrenergic Receptor Expression is Increased in the Renal Medulla of Spontaneously Hypertensive African Green Monkeys.” Megan also received an American Physiological Society Minority Travel Fellowship to attend Experimental Biology 2016 in San Diego, CA.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jdsh225">Jim Shaffer</a> (<a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/skglees">Gleeson Lab</a>) was awarded first place and a $250 check for his poster "Prescribed fire impacts on tree seedling growth in a Kentucky Bluegrass Savanna-Woodland remnant" at the KY/TN Joint Prescribed Fire Council Meeting in Ft. Campbell, KY.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/bsl223">Brittany Slabach</a> (<a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/pcrowley">Crowley Lab</a>) received a scholarship to attend the 2016 Summer Institute in Statistics and Modeling Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington. The summer institute is an annual event and one of three summer institutes presented by the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Washington. The $1,800 scholarship provides attendance to three modules, and includes travel cost. Brittany’s goal is to gain a strong foundation in epidemiological models, and to use data parameters from her field data to develop two disease transmission models that will better help manage disease outbreak in wild populations.</p>
<h3>
<strong>Grants</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jrdi225">Jacqueline Dillard</a> (<a href="http://www.i-m.mx/DFWestneat/DavidFWestneat/">Westneat Lab</a>) was awarded an $18,980 Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the NSF to investigate dispersal and paternity patterns in the horned passalus, Odontotaenius disjunctus. These funds will go towards investigating whether the general correlation between genetic monogamy and cooperative family formation in animal societies is a consequence of environmental selective pressures that simultaneously favor reduced dispersal and extra-pair mating. Specifically, Jacqueline will assess how resource density, decaying logs in this case, influences mating and dispersal behavior in the horned passalus to determine if increased distance between breeding resources reduces movement of both young adults and potential extra-pair mates.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/pmhi222">Paul Hime</a> (<a href="http://sweb.uky.edu/~dweis2">Weisrock Lab</a>) was awarded $18,967 for an NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (DDIG), entitled "DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing gene- and site-specific support for deep amphibian relationships across nuclear loci that interact with mitochondria and ribosomes". This research explores why different regions of the genome may strongly support different evolutionary hypotheses for relationships among the three amphibian orders.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/srho224">Scott Hotaling</a> (<a href="http://sweb.uky.edu/~dweis2">Weisrock Lab</a>) was awarded a UW-NPS Research Grant ($5000) with co-PIs L Tronstad, JJ Giersch, L Zeglin, and D Finn. "A unique 'icy seep' habitat in the high Teton Range: potential refuge for biological assemblages imperiled by climate change".</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/ksjo229">Kara Jones</a> (<a href="http://sweb.uky.edu/~dweis2">Weisrock Lab</a>) received the Society of Systematic Biologists Graduate Student Research Award from the Society of Systematic Biologists. This $1500 grant is to help support further research to unravel the evolutionary history of a diverse salamander clade.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/rma256">Rose Marks</a> (<a href="http://www.i-m.mx/McLetchie/McletchieLab2/welcome.html">McLetchie Lab</a>) received the Anderson-Crum Field Research in Bryology Award, a $500 grant to support field work in bryology from the American Bryological and Lichenological Society.</p>
<p><a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/sonu222">Schyler Nunziata</a> (<a href="http://sweb.uky.edu/~dweis2">Weisrock lab</a>) was awarded an $18,946 Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation entitled, “Estimating the genetic and demographic response of an amphibian metapopulation to global climate change.” This research uses genomic approaches to study the conservation, evolution, and ecology of wetland populations. Using salamanders as a study system, the goals are to understand how genetic diversity changes across sub-populations as a result in changes in gene flow, and how these are mediated overall by changes in climate. To achieve these goals, Schyler will generate and analyze genome-wide patterns of genetic variation and develop new models that will be used to project how populations respond to environmental change.</p>
<p> </p>
</div>
<h3>
fall 2015</h3>
<p>3/18/2015- Travel Award<br /><br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/mckein2">Melissa Keinath</a> has been awarded a travel grant to attend and present her research at the <a href="http://www.theaga.org/">American Genetic Association</a> Presidential Symposium on “Chromosome Evolution: Molecular Mechanisms and Evolutionary Consequences”. The meeting will be held on Bainbridge Island, Washington on August 17-19, 2015. Melissa will present “Characterization of a Large Vertebrate Genome Using Shotgun and Laser Capture Chromosome Sequencing", a poster describing her work to sequence and assemble the axolotl genome using targeted chromosome isolation in the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jjsmit3">Smith lab</a>, in collaboration with the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/srvoss">Voss lab</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>3/1/15- Publication<br />
Graduate students <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/wwe223">Wen Wen</a>, <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/lspi222">Lakshmi Pillai-Kastoori</a>, and <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/sgwi224">Stephen Wilson</a>, along with advisor <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/acmo224">Ann Morris</a> have just published their paper “Sox4 regulates choroid fissure closure by limiting Hedgehog signaling during ocular morphogenesis” in the journal <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.12.026">Developmental Biology</a>. By manipulating gene activity, the authors demonstrate that the SoxC class transcription factor Sox4 is necessary for proper eye development, specifically regulating the closure of the choroid fissure. Failure to do so causes coloboma, a class of eye disorders observed commonly in human pediatric patients. They further demonstrated that the ocular morphogenesis defects are due to elevated signaling in the Hedgehog pathway and that the ligand Indian Hedgehog b is dramatically overexpressed when Sox4 activity is reduced. The activities of Sox4 are shown to be partly overlapping with those of Sox11, which they have <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1004491">previously reported</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1/22/2015- Travel Award<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/mckein2">Melissa Keinath</a> has been selected by the meeting organizers to receive a fellowship ($750) to attend and present a poster at the upcoming Genome10K workshop in Santa Cruz, CA, March 1-4 2015. This relatively exclusive conference will explore critical topics essential for assembling a genomic zoo of some 10,000 vertebrate species to help understand how complex animal life evolved through changes in DNA and use this knowledge to become better stewards of the planet (<a href="https://genome10k.soe.ucsc.edu">https://genome10k.soe.ucsc.edu</a>). Melissa will present “Characterization of a Large Vertebrate Genome Using Shotgun and Laser Capture Chromosome Sequencing" which describes her recent efforts in the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jjsmit3">Smith lab</a> to sequence and assemble the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) genome.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>12/15/14- Fellowship<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/3389">Robin Bagley</a>, a graduate student in the lab of Dr. <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/3522">Catherine Linnen</a>, is the recipient of a two year USDA NIFA fellowship for her project “Testing the host-shift speciation hypothesis in the red-headed pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei) using genomic, ecological and reproductive data”. It is thought that shifts and subsequent adaptation to new hosts are main drivers in the speciation of plant-feeding insects. A primary goal of Robin’s dissertation is to determine if host plant adaptation contributes to speciation in pine sawflies. She will exploit a local outbreak of the redheaded pine sawfly at the UK Arboretum’s Trail of Pines where there are three morphologically and chemically distinct pine host species. The grant, totaling $73,805, will support examination of sawfly populations from these hosts for evidence of genetic, ecological and reproductive isolation to determine if host shifts do contribute to speciation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>12/10/14- Thesis Defense<br />
Congratulations to <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/lta223">Lingfeng Tang</a> for defense of his Ph.D. dissertation, “The JAK/STAT pathway is reutilized in Drosophila spermatogenesis.” Lingfeng’s work in the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/dough">Harrison </a>lab set out to examine the role of Unpaired 3, one of a family of fly cytokines, in regulating maintenance of male fertility. Consistent with a previously known role for the JAK/STAT pathway, he found that Upd3 contributes to maintenance of stem cells in the testis. He also uncovered a novel and unexpected role for the JAK/STAT pathway in regulating late differentiation of spermatids. Lingfeng has accepted a postdoctoral position at Cornell University and will begin in early 2015.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>9/22/14- Publication<br />
The <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/111/40/E4194.abstract">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA</a> today published “Beclin-1 deficiency in the murine ovary results in the reduction of progesterone production to promote preterm labor”, a paper authored by <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/1838">Tom Gawriluk</a>, who recently defended his dissertation, on which this work was based. The paper is co-authored with Tom’s thesis mentor, Dr. <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/631">Ed Rucker</a>, and collaborators from the University of Illinois and the University of Kansas Medical Center. Using mice with a conditional knockout of Beclin1, a regulator of the autophagy pathway, specifically removed in the granulosa cells of the ovary, they find a defect in production of progesterone. This failure to maintain progesterone leads to premature labor. This conditional knockout mouse represents a new model that can be used for studies of preterm labor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>7/10/14- Publication<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/lspi222">Lakshmi Pillai-Kastoori </a>is the lead author of a paper published today in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1004491">PLoS Genetics</a> entitled “Sox11 is required to maintain proper levels of Hedgehog signaling during vertebrate ocular morphogenesis.” The article is co-authored by fellow graduate students <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/wwe223">Wen Wen</a> and <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/sgwi224">Stephen Wilson</a> and advisor <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/acmo224">Ann Morris</a>, as well as collaborators at the University of Alberta. The authors demonstrate that the transcription factor Sox11 is essential for proper formation of the eye. In zebrafish deficient for Sox11, they see abnormal lens development, reduction in rod photoreceptors, and failure of choroid fissure closure, known as coloboma. Similar defects are associated with aberrant signaling of the Hedgehog pathway and, indeed, Hedgehog signaling is greatly elevated in Sox 11 deficient animals, suggesting that this may be the primary cause of the observed defects. Lastly, the authors identify two novel sequence variants of Sox11 among patients with coloboma or other eye development defects, suggesting that changes in Sox11 activity may contribute to pediatric eye disorders.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>6/24/14- Thesis Defense<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jacoll4">Jason Collett</a> successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, “Renal Humoral, Genetic and Genomic Mechanisms Underlying Spontaneous Hypertension”. Jason’s work in the lab of <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/641">Jeff Osborn</a> has focused on identifying genes responsible for spontaneous high blood pressure in a rat model system. By repeatedly backcrossing hypertensive with normotensive animals and selecting for those with high blood pressure, he was able to isolate genetic factors responsible. Jason has uncovered gene expression changes in both the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes in the kidneys of hypertensive animals that are likely to underlie this condition. Jason will be moving to the Indiana University School of Medicine to begin postdoctoral work later this summer.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>5/16/14- Grant<br />
The <a href="http://www.amnh.org/">American Museum of Natural History</a> has awarded a $900 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grant to <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jrdi225">Jacqueline Dillard</a> to support her research investigating how species change their social behavior in response to resource sustainability in ecological time. She will compare native and invasive ambrosia beetle species to examine whether those that inhabit smaller, less sustainable resources are more dispersal prone than species that inhabit resources of variable sustainability. This project will shed light upon both species-level differences in adaptive plasticity as well as the ecological triggers that shape the decisions to disperse or cooperate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>5/2/14- Thesis Defense<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/4803">Qian Chen</a> has earned her Ph.D., defending her thesis entitled “The interactions between JAK/STAT signaling ligands in Drosophila“. Qian began this work in the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/dough">Harrison</a> lab six years ago. She developed tools and assays to investigate the physical interactions of the fruit fly Janus kinase pathway cytokines, the Unpaired family, and the influence of these interactions on signaling activity.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4/22/14- Thesis Defense<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/1838">Tom Gawriluk</a> successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis, "Targeted Knockout of Beclin-1 Reveals an Essential Function in Ovary and Testis". The project, conducted in the lab of <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/ebru222">Ed Rucker</a>, uncovered unexpected roles of this autophagy promoting protein in gametogenesis. Tom will pursue postdoctoral research right here in the Biology Department in the lab of <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/awse225">Ashley Seifert</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4/18/14- Thesis Defense<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/3391">Josh Titlow</a> has completed his Ph.D. work with the defense of his thesis entitled “DOPAMINERGIC AND ACTIVITY-DEPENDENT MODULATION OF MECHANOSENSORY RESPONSES IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER LARVAE”. Josh’s work in the <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/rlcoop1">Cooper </a>lab used an array of genetic, pharmacological, and electrophysiological approaches to investigate nervous system plasticity regulated by the neuromodulator dopamine. Josh will continue using the fruit fly as a model as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford in the other UK.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4/15/14- Grant<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/4793">Justin Kratovil</a> has been awarded a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation in support of his Ph.D. thesis project “Phylogeographic analysis of introgressive gene flow among nuclear loci functionally linked to the mitochondrion”. The research, conducted with his advisor, <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/dweis2">Dave Weisrock</a>, will use high throughput sequencing methods to evaluate evolutionary patterns of divergence in nuclear and mitochondrial genomes using dusky salamanders. The NSF is providing $19,485 to support Justin’s research over the next two years.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4/10/14- Thesis Defense<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/3396">Jann Fry</a> has earned her Ph.D. by successfully defending her thesis, "A plant trait-based approach to determine the feasibility of using native C3 and C4 to restore a functional grassland community in a remnant Bluegrass Savanna-Woodland in Kentucky, USA". Working with Dr. <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/skglees">Scott Gleeson</a>, Jann investigated the ability of various bunchgrass species to restore the functionality of a temperate Midwestern oak savanna.</p>
<p>4/9/14- Publication<br />
Graduate students <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/3391">Josh Titlow</a> and <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/4196">Zana Majeed</a>, working with undergraduates Jordan Rice, Emily Holsopple, and Stephanie Biecker in <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/629">Robin Cooper’s</a> lab, have received word that their paper “Anatomical and genotype-specific mechanosensory responses in Drosophila melanogaster larvae” has been accepted for publication in <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neures.2014.04.003">Neuroscience Research</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>4/3/14- Award<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/4217">Jim Shaffer</a>, Ph.D. student in the lab of <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/skglees">Scott Gleeson</a>, was awarded First Prize in the Graduate Student Oral Presentation competition at the <a href="http://my.aspb.org/">American Society of Plant Biologists</a>-Southern Section's annual conference held in Lexington over the weekend. The title of his talk was "Mammalian herbivory on fourteen experimentally planted native hardwood tree seedlings of the Kentucky Bluegrass savanna-woodland community".</p>
<p>3/21/14- Grant<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/jrdi225">Jacqueline Dillard</a> , graduate student in <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/1564">Dave Westneat’s</a> lab, has been awarded $1820 for a Short Term Research Fellowship from the<a href="http://www.stri.si.edu/"> Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute</a> to travel to Panama for three months this summer to pursue a project investigating the role of ecology in the evolution of cooperation in bess beetles. By comparing the complexity of family organization among several different species of bess beetles that inhabit different ecological niches, Jacqueline expects to better understand how ecology shapes social behavior. Specifically, she will test the hypothesis that long-lasting, more sustainable resources promote the evolution of more cooperative family groups than short-lived, ephemeral resources.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>3/13/14- Thesis Defense<br /><a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/user/1248">Amber Hale</a> completed the defense of her thesis entitled "ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF TWO AUTOPHAGY PATHWAY RELATED GENES, BECN1 AND TSC1, IN MURINE MAMMARY GLAND DEVELOPMENT AND DIFFERENTIATION". Amber’s research, conducted under the mentorship of <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/users/ebru222">Ed Rucker</a>, investigated the function of autophagy in the cyclical development and remodeling of the mammary gland with pregnancy, lactation, and weaning. Amber has recently accepted a tenure-track faculty position at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/graduate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">graduate</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tag/feature" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">feature</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3"><a href="/tag/graduate-students" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">graduate students</a></li></ul></div>Tue, 16 Jul 2013 14:10:43 +0000shorn2201415 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduTwo A&S Faculty Team Up for New Book on Kentucky's Robinson Forest https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/two-faculty-team-new-book-kentuckys-robinson-forest
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Embattled%20Wilderness.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p>
<p>By Sarah Geegan</p>
<p><a href="http://english.as.uky.edu/">English</a> professor <a href="https://english.as.uky.edu/users/ereec0">Erik Reece</a> and <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/">Biology</a> professor <a href="https://bio.as.uky.edu/users/bio149">James Krupa</a> recently released a book that brings to life the history and ecology of one of Kentucky's most important natural landscapes —the Robinson Forest in eastern Kentucky.</p>
<p>"The Embattled Wilderness" depicts the fourteen thousand acres of diverse forest region-- a haven of biological richness-- as endangered by the ever-expanding desert created by mountaintop removal mining. The authors, alternating chapters that focus on the natural and cultural history of the forest, combine their professional knowledge of the area to persuasively appeal for its protection.</p>
<p>Erik Reece, an environmental writer, explains the threats to the Robinson forest and highlights new ways of thinking about its value. James Krupa, a naturalist and evolutionary biologist, weaves an engaging record of the wood rats and darters, lichens and maples, centipedes and salamanders that make up the forest’s ecosystem.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Krupa%202.jpg" style="margin: 7px; width: 400px; height: 266px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 10.5pt; float: left;" width="400" height="266" />Krupa said that the authors focused on this subject because Robinison Forest remains one of the last and largest forests in Eastern Kentucky that has not been drastically harmed by strip mining.</p>
<p>"Because Robinson Forest is completely surrounded by mining, we felt an urgency to ask and answer the question: Why should this forest be saved?" Reece said. "So that's what we set out to do. It's easy to justify the cash value of the coal beneath Robinson Forest, but much harder, in this country, to justify not mining the forest for that coal. We feel that Robinson Forest is one of UK's greatest assets. It is a place that has much to teach us about conservation, interdependence, humility, beauty and sustainability."</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 10.5pt;">Kentucky author and cultural icon Wendell Berry provided a foreword for the book.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 10.5pt;">“No place, no building or garden or park or farm or natural wonder, is any longer safe from destruction. This is because, by the determination of industry, the connivance of our institutions, and with the tacit consent evidently of most people, every place or thing has become merely a property exactly equaled by its market price. The inestimable service of this book, then, is to restore to a renowned and much-loved place its membership, both natural and human, and its history.”—from the foreword by Wendell Berry.</span></p>
<p>As their work speaks to global issues of environmental quality, pedagogy and cultural values, the authors expect it to appeal to audiences interested in both the sciences and the humanities.<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Robinson.jpg" style="margin: 7px; width: 400px; height: 266px; line-height: 1.5; font-size: 10.5pt; float: right;" width="400" height="266" /></p>
<p>"A famous conservationist, Gifford Pinchot, Chief Forester for President Theodore Roosevelt, wrote in 1910, 'Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day.'" Chair of the UK Biology Department Vincent Cassone said. "Yet, we have seen over these past 100 years more than 100 species extinct and more land laid waste to “progress and prosperity”. Let’s hope The Embattled Forest by Eric Reece and Jim Krupa opens at least a few eyes to the urgency of preserving our wild heritage in Kentucky and elsewhere for 'those who come after us.'"</p>
<p>The authors will hold a book signing at the Morris Book Shop on Friday, May 10. at 6 p.m.</p>
<p>"The great naturalist Aldo Leopold famously said we should think like a mountain," Reece said. "I propose that Robinson Forest shows us a way to think like a forest."</p>
<p><strong style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 10.5pt;">MEDIA CONTACT:</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 10.5pt;"> Sarah Geegan, (859) 257-5365; </span><a href="mailto:sarah.geegan@uky.edu" style="line-height: 1.5; font-size: 10.5pt;">sarah.geegan@uky.edu</a></p>
<p><em>Photos by Lee Thomas taken during the Summer Environmental Writing Program at Robinson Forest. Top - Krupa with butterfly. Bottom - Reece (front row center) with writing workshop.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(178, 34, 34);">Follow this link to read </span><u><a href="http://www.kentucky.com/2013/05/07/2630842/tom-eblen-erik-reece-hopes-new.html"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Tom Eblen's review </span></a></u><span style="color: rgb(178, 34, 34);">of the book in the Lexington Herald Leader, May 7, 2013.</span></strong></span></p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/james-krupa" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">james krupa</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/erik-reece" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">erik reece</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tags/english" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">english</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/college-arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">college of arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/ecology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">ecology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/robinson-forest" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">robinson forest</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/wendell-berry" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">wendell berry</a></li></ul></div>Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:06:02 +0000brconn2200031 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduOpening New Doors: Debdas Mukerjeehttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/podcasts/opening-new-doors-debdas-mukerjee
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Debdas.jpg" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 1.5;">University of Kentucky alumni Debdas Mukerjee graduated in 1962 with his Ph.D. in <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/">genetics</a>. After UK, Mukerjee contributed his expertise to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center before his career finally carried him to the Environmental Protection Agency where he was a Senior Environmental Health Scientist for the United States. </span></p>
<div>All of this was not Mukerjee's plan but he found that both the University of Kentucky and the state itself opened the doors of America to him in way he would never have imagined. In this podcast, Mukerjee reminisces on his "innumerable" memories at UK and gives some advice to current students so that they too can get the most from their academic experience. </div>
<div> </div>
<p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">This podcast was produced by </span><a href="https://www.as.uky.edu/users/pdodow2" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">Patrick O'Dowd</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.en_US" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="/sites/default/files/resize/remote/40e8d4f2367ed503ec760572d78852de-80x15.png" style="border-width:0" width="80" height="15" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.en_US" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image2 field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <media:thumbnail url="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/as2012_17.png" />
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-audio field-type-file field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"> <enclosure url="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Opening%20New%20Doors_%20Debdas%20Mukerjee.mp3" length="11447394" type="audio/mpeg" />
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/arts-sciecnes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">arts &amp; sciecnes</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tag/alumni" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">alumni</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3"><a href="/tags/podcast" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">podcast</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4"><a href="/tag/genetics" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">genetics</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5"><a href="/tag/debdas-mukerjee" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">debdas mukerjee</a></li></ul></div>Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:00:45 +0000Anonymous199146 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduA Bedrock Educationhttps://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/bedrock-education-0
<div class="featured-nodes-image"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/sites/default/files/Bedrock-EducationREV.JPG" alt="" /></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p><div class="view view-single-podcast view-id-single_podcast view-display-id-block_1 view-dom-id-2b47da3ceceba3886d37d5f6bfdaf54f">
</div></p>
<p>For many University of Kentucky students, the right undergraduate degree is an important stepping stone towards a life-long goal of pursuing medicine, dentistry, or law. The College of Arts and Sciences works hard to develop programs and majors that help cater to the pre-professional goals of its many students.</p>
<div>Ariel Blythe Reske is a <a href="http://bio.as.uky.edu/">Biology</a> major and a member of the <a href="http://www.as.uky.edu/ambassadors">A&amp;S Student Ambassador</a> program; for her, the desire to become a doctor is one of the primary motivating forces in her education. As an undergraduate in the college of A&amp;S studying Biology, Reske found both classes and professors that challenged, inspired, and changed the way she thought about the world. On top of that, she is better prepared for whatever the future may throw her way.</div>
<div> </div>
<p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">This podcast was produced by </span><a href="https://www.as.uky.edu/users/pdodow2" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">Patrick O'Dowd</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.en_US" rel="license"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="/sites/default/files/resize/remote/40e8d4f2367ed503ec760572d78852de-80x15.png" style="border-width:0" width="80" height="15" /></a><br />
This work is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/deed.en_US" rel="license">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License</a>.</p>
</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/tag/undergraduate" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">undergraduate</a></li></ul></div>Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:32:53 +0000nrsa222191323 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.eduWired students present their work from this semester.https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu/photos/wired-students-present-their-work-semester
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded">Photo by Vincent Purcell.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-thumbnail-url field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Thumbnail URL:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6959452787_02f1c01156_t.jpg</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-image-url field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Image URL:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6959452787_0fd8444a20_o.jpg</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/tag/students" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">students</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/tag/biology" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biology</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2"><a href="/tag/university-kentucky" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">university of kentucky</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3"><a href="/tag/arts-sciences" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">arts &amp; sciences</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4"><a href="/tag/henrietta-lacks-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">henrietta lacks</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5"><a href="/tag/wired" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">wired</a></li></ul></div><div class="field field-name-field-flickr-photoset field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix"><div class="field-label">Album: </div><ul class="links inline"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/flickr-albums/wired-students-present-projects-henrietta-lacks" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">A&amp;S Wired Students Present Projects on Henrietta Lacks</a></li></ul></div><div class="field field-name-field-display-url field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Display Image URL:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7180/6959452787_02f1c01156.jpg</div></div></div>Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:03:28 +0000Anonymous174741 at https://socialtheory.as.uky.edu